Seeking Satisfaction
by jenmc
Summary: Sequel to Seeking Assistance. What does the future hold for Charles and Molly and their budding relationship?
1. Chapter 1

As Charles sent the last email on his list before the end of the day, he stretched back in self satisfaction, feeling the soft leather of his chair move with him. He could finally relax after a frenzied day of trying to finish everything before the early finish tonight for the Christmas meal. It hadn't been an easy day, especially after losing the previous afternoon to chase Molly across London. But it had been so very worth it, and he felt his heartbeat soar as he remembered just what had happened.

His thoughts were disturbed by a tap on the door, and he looked up to find Richard pulling his winter coat on. "Come on, we're all going to get sloshed before this godforsaken Christmas meal; you need a good drink when two slices of cold turkey and a roast potato await you."

"I'll catch you up, I've got a couple of things to do before I leave." Charles rubbed the back of his neck distractedly as he rose from his desk, noticing the almost empty area outside of his office. "Has everybody gone?"

"Everybody except Molly. She's doing some copies for me, and moaning her gorgeous little arse off about it." Richard took a step back at the warning eyebrow that was raised in his direction. "Sorry, too far. It's the excitement of Christmas, won't do it again."

"Go" Charles ordered, making himself look busy with a stray pile of papers as Richard backed out of his room and made his way towards the lifts.

After scouring the now deserted office for Molly, Charles crept up behind where he finally spotted her, standing at the photocopier, watching the paper tray furiously. He tried desperately not to laugh at the annoyance which was clear in her stance. She stood, arms crossed and face fizzing as she waited for the copies that Richard had demanded she produce at short notice while Emily was out of the office buying his wife's Christmas gift.

 _What a fucking prick._

He heard her mumble under her breath about Richard being a complete wanker, and being treated like a skivvy, when he suddenly made his presence known with a small cough. He was almost completely pressed against where she stood, and he felt her gasp as she suddenly realised how close he was. She knew it was him without looking; she could feel his presence, detect his scent. Without turning around to look at him, she let a sudden grin fall across her face, her bad mood eased by his sudden presence.

"What you doing?" She whispered in the event that any of their colleagues were within hearing distance. The tiny photocopying room was annexed off from the main office but not soundproofed - Emily had been caught out gossiping in the small room on previous occasions after making the mistake of underestimating how much could be heard from it, and Molly tried to bear that fact in mind. It was very difficult to bear anything in mind right now though, with his hand slowly sweeping down her back before resting on her hipbone.

"Keeping you company while you skivvy for that wanker Richard?" He mocked the complaints he had heard from her and gathered her long hair together in his hands, sweeping it all over one shoulder so that he had full access to her neck.

"Sssh" she placed a finger on her lips as she craned her neck briefly to meet his eyes. "Somebody might hear you."

He grinned as he rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped both arms around her waist from behind her. "They've all left to get a drink before the Christmas dinner. I told Richard we'd meet them there soon."

Her response was panicky. "Don't that look a bit suspicious?"

"Don't really care" he muttered as he brought his lips towards the back of her exposed neck to nuzzle softly. A breath caught in the back of her throat as she felt the heat increase in her body. She could detect her pulse race close to the spot where his lips were placed. His soft kisses travelled all the way across her neck, but he was stopped in his tracks by the top of her dress, the cold zip touching his chin where her neck met the material. He tried to manoeuvre around the dress before growing dissatisfied.

 _I need more._

The photocopier continued to whir and spit out copies in front of them, and he grew increasingly fond of the almost indiscernible moans and sighs that were coming from Molly as he nuzzled. He slowly pulled the zip of her dress down, by no more than a couple of inches, to allow himself extra access to her neck. Her moans picked up slightly in tempo in response, but she stiffened slightly in his arms, signalling some hesitance.

"Aint this against rule number 3?"

He smirked at her question, but continued to deliver kisses, placing both hands on her hips as he held her in place, trying to make her relax again, and adopting his most innocent tone. "You'll need to remind me of the rules. I'm very forgetful."

She laughed softly at the fact that she had to remind him yet again. "Rule number 1-" she gasped as she felt him edge the zip of her dress down even further, so that her shoulder blades were exposed. She didn't stiffen this time, forcing her bum out a little so that it rested against his hips. "-we take it slow and keep this between ourselves while we figure out what's going on." He mumbled into her soft skin in approval of the first rule she stated.

"Rule number 2. We don't see anybody else at the same-" she broke off to moan as his mouth travelled to between her shoulder blades and he continued to kiss gently "-time". The word came out as a shudder.

"Well that's easy" he traced along her shoulders with his index finger, spoilt for choice as to which spot to kiss next. Her skin smelled and tasted so good that he couldn't decide. A thought occurred to him and he smiled devilishly behind her.

"Rule number 3." Charles put his idea into effect as Molly continued to speak, and slowly edged her zip down as far as her waist. His fingers explored the bare skin of her back, his thumb tracing down the ridges of her spine as he realised, to his delight, that there was no bra strap in his way.

"N..n..nothing-" Molly stumbled over her words as his kisses suddenly reached the base of her spine. She rushed the words out while she could "-happens at work."

He smiled wickedly and ignored her reiteration of the third rule as he hovered behind her and moved his mouth to her ear again.

"Molly Dawes" he drew her name out as he adopted a jokingly shocked voice. "Where on earth is your bra?"

Her head was all over the place as he continued to move behind her, and she felt herself unable to respond for a minute, so he continued. "If you're going to start coming to work without underwear, we're going to have to renegotiate rule number 3."

She finally found a croaky voice. "I can't wear a bra with this dress. And I do have underwear on, I'm wearing knickers. Although-" she stopped to gasp as his hands caressed the bare skin on her back. His long fingers crept round slowly so that they were completely underneath her dress. He lightly brushed against the sides of her breasts, thumbs caressing the sensitive skin at the sides, and his remaining fingers cupping underneath them. She felt her nipples harden at the sensation of his fingers lingering so very close to them "-there ain't much to them, so I might as well not have any on."

He chuckled, and she felt the sensation of his chest rumbling with low laughter as his hands continued to wander. His thumb and index finger moved to lightly pinch a nipple each, and she bit down on her lip to stem the inevitable moan she knew she was about to make. She leaned back into his body in response to the heady level of breathlessness building up inside of her. She hadn't been lying, there really wasn't much to the scrap of lace she'd put on this morning, and what was there was getting more and more soaked by the minute. She shifted awkwardly in his arms to place her head far enough back to see him. She wanted to see his eyes boring into her like they always did. When she did meet them, they were amused but dark with desire. Her hips ground against him as she felt heat surge through her, and she could feel he was just as affected as she was. He was pouting at her statement.

"You can't say something like that and then not show me them."

She tried to maintain a controlled voice, but it was increasingly difficult to do when he was continuing to massage her nipples, increasing the pace before slowing down again. She moaned with slight frustration before catching herself and remembering where she was, squeezing her thighs together in frustration.

"I'm not showing you my knickers in work." _I will if you ask again though._

"Why not?"

"Well, we haven't exactly done anything yet, have we? And I'm not having my first time with you up against the photocopier, I don't care how much I've thought about it."

Her cheeks burned as he caught on to her clumsy disclosure. "Thought about it, have you? And I wouldn't exactly call last night nothing." He was right, events after they had left the bar had reached a crescendo when he'd taken her home and given her a goodbye kiss that had gotten a little out of hand, with hands wandering everywhere in the hallway of Molly's block of flats before Charles had very deliberately taken charge and pulled away. Molly had been left breathless with need, and more than a little disappointed that he hadn't followed through with an attempt to stay the night, or even to pass the front door.

"Well it could have been more, if you'd wanted." Molly tried not to make her disappointment that nothing had happened the previous night too obvious.

"Molly" he returned his hands to their previous place on her breasts, caressing them slowly as she groaned again and ground herself against his lap, feeling just how much he was enjoying the sensation too. "Plenty happened in my head, I can assure you. I had some very good dreams last night." He pinched a sensitive nipple very slightly and she mewled with a mixture of pleasure and shock. "But if we'd done anything, I'm sure it would have been a breach of rule number 1. You do seem to be a fan of the rules, after all." He enjoyed teasing her as she struggled to remember why she had insisted that they come up with rules in the first place.

"Bloody rules" she muttered under her breath as one of his hands returned to her back, edging the zip of her dress down even further so that it sat at the curve of her backside. He caught a tantalising glimpse of the lace she had referred to and ran a finger along the top of the material. Her response was an immediate shudder, as she tried to contain herself and failed.

"Maybe we should rethink the rules a bit" she breathed as his fingers brushed against her lace underwear, examining the material under her dress.

"Oh god" she barely managed to breathe as she felt his warm breath on her neck as a finger ran along the seam at the front, so tantalisingly close to between her thighs. "Take them off" she urged him. He chuckled at her forwardness and enjoyed one final tease, cupping the moist material between her legs and feeling her brief shudder as she tried to maintain the contact between them. He promptly removed his hands from inside her dress at the same time as the photocopier stopped, the noise from the large machine stopping in it's tracks. Molly's cheeks flamed bright red with desire as he pulled away.

"Did that make your photocopying a little more bearable?" He enquired innocently, silently congratulating himself on the self-control that had stopped him from easing her underwear down her thighs and himself inside of her. He wasn't quite sure how he had stopped himself.

"You're a tease" she complained when she regained the power of speech. "Gettin' me all excited for nothing."

"It wasn't for nothing" he whispered in her ear as he took care to zip her dress back up slowly, finishing with a kiss to the top of her neck. "You need to learn to wait out a little. It makes the fun so much better."

* * *

As they made their way into the restaurant next door to the office and towards the long table filled with their colleagues, there was a whoop from Emily at the other end; paper hat perched on her head and a glass of wine in her hand.

She patted the empty seat beside her. "Molls, I saved you a spot."

Molly looked at the lone seat beside her friend, and then back at Charles, who shrugged and smiled. "Go and have fun. I'll sit somewhere else." As she moved to walk away from him, she heard a firm "Molly" behind her, and he caught her wrist before she moved away. His face bore an impassive mask to any observer, and she wondered what was wrong with him.

She soon realised when he drew her closer, his whispers like a warm tickle in her ear. "I do hope those tiny little knickers won't be staying on all night" he winked before stalking off in the opposite direction, leaving her breathless all over again.

 _Well, shit. He's on one hell of a promise._

She slumped beside Emily, still reeling from the effect one sentence had on her. He sat at the only other chair available, at the opposite end of the table and smirked knowingly, briefly focussing on her body before returning to her eyes. She unwittingly licked her lips, and he looked away, engaging in conversation with Maureen, the PA co-ordinator who looked like all of her Christmases had come at once with the handsome man seated beside her.

Emily's face suddenly appeared in her consciousness. "What was that all about?"

"What?"

"Well your face is bright red, and you look like you need a bit of air."

Molly quickly recovered, pulling an unused paper hat from beside her, placing it on her head, and pouring herself a glass of wine from one of the numerous open bottles out on the table. "I'm fine mate, other than getting kept behind late doing copies for _your_ boss."

Emily grinned mischievously "I'm sure you coped with Charles there to keep you company, you lucky bitch. That reminds me, how serious is it with him and that Alice girl? You've been off so much I haven't had a chance to ask."

 _And, breathe_.

Molly took a far larger gulp of wine than she really should have, and looked Emily directly in the eye, preparing herself to lie when she'd really rather not. "I dunno Em, he hasn't mentioned anything about her."

She leaned forwards conspiratorially. "Molls, you need to get the goss on this. Half the PA's are waiting for their chance to crack onto him, although they're out their skulls if they reckon they've got 'alf a chance."

"Why's that then?"

Emily gestured towards him with a knowing look that belied her young years. "Look at him Molls! He looks like _that_ , he dresses like he's straight off that GQ magazine, drives a Beemer, and he's loaded. Blokes like that don't go for the likes of us, not unless they're after a shag and nothin' else. Which is fine by me, but that lot need to remember their place instead of thinkin' they're gonna be the next _Mrs Charles James_." She uttered the name haughtily, as though it was a hefty title.

Molly's heart sunk as she listened to Emily's monologue and looked across the table where, sure enough, Charles had a captive audience of women chatting to him.

 _Why do I care anyway? She's right, it's just about sex. It's not like I'm expecting anything else from him. It ain't ever gonna be anything serious._

Emily followed Molly's gaze as they both drank their wine. "Looks like he could take his pick, wonder which one he'd go for."

Her response was immediate and defensive. "I dunno, do I?"

"Alright grumpy arse, bloody hell! Maybe you need to get some too-" she nudged Molly in the side with her elbow. "-you could try your hand, bet you'd get somewhere."

"No thanks."

"Don't see why not, I reckon he's a ten. Bet he knows exactly what he's doin' between the sheets. Or on a table. Or even the kitchen worktop. Blimey, you'd be spoilt for choice."

"Em" Molly waved a hand in front of her as she tried not to engage in such delicious thoughts. "Get a grip."

"Oh, I'd have a grip of it all right" Emily grinned salaciously. This time Molly couldn't help but meet her eyes and roar with laughter, both women holding onto each other for support as they giggled. She noticed the amusement in Charles' eyes as he looked over and grinned at the pair cracking up with laughter.

His smile was enough to give Molly some comfort, and she relaxed enough to enjoy the rest of the meal in peace; she and Emily becoming progressively more tipsy as the courses were delivered to the table.

* * *

As she departed the table to nip to the loo, she registered with some excitement that Charles wasn't at the table. As she tried to covertly locate him, she squealed when she was pulled into the corridor leading to the cloakroom by a strong arm. All of a sudden, she was in the darkened cloakroom, surrounded by coats and bags. She was pressed against the wall by Charles' firm body in front of her, without a chance of escape.

His voice was a husky whisper. "I hope you know you're driving me nuts, sitting there in that little dress with no bra on." She shook her head innocently and he couldn't help but laugh as her crumpled paper hat fell from her head and onto the floor, untouched by either of them. Suddenly, his dark eyes glittered with want as he shifted the hem of her dress slowly towards her waist. She gasped and let him pull the material towards her waist. With a grin, he fell to his knees and placed a hand on either side of her black lacy knickers. Painfully slowly, he tugged them down her thighs and lower, until she was completely exposed to the cool air in the darkened room. She could barely see a thing, her senses on overdrive in the absence of sight. Her underwear was edged further down, beyond her knees, until she stepped out of them altogether and he saved them gleefully in his suit pocket.

She reached a hand out to play with his hair, grabbing on to the curls to try and pull him towards where she needed him. Instead, he placed one delicate kiss exactly on her centre, causing her to cry out with shocked surprise. He stood from his place in the floor, savouring the brief taste of her on his lips, and stood tantalisingly close to her.

"Good things come to those who wait Molly." He breathed the words softly in her ear and departed the room quickly, leaving her to pull her dress down in frustration and follow him back to the restaurant.

* * *

 **AN. Welcome to Seeking Satisfaction! This is the next stage of seeking assistance (all credit to Jill** _ **aka icemist, aka intelligence chief extraordinaire**_ **f** **or coming up with the title, thanks! :-)).**

 **Hope you all want to come back for a bit more! I'm pretty sure Molly does...After the craziness of yesterday, I think we all need a bit of a CJ and Molly fix. I'm really excited to see where TG will go with the new series, but don't think I'll be writing anything other than these two, I love them too much!**


	2. Chapter 2

6am

There was only pain. Intense, blinding, pain.

It attacked Molly whenever she tried to open her eyes enough to focus on her surroundings. The room in which she lay was pitch black, so she could only assume it was still night time or early morning.

It was hard to tell which was worse, the sandpaper like sensation in her mouth and throat, both of which felt dry and parched, or the constant pounding of her head as she tried unsuccessfully to raise it from the pillow.

She noticed the presence of exactly the thing she needed on the bedside table beside her; a large glass of water and an aspirin. She managed to force herself to lift the glass, the weight feeling like a brick to her arm as she slugged most of the water down. She opened the packet of aspirin slowly, the noises taunting her painful head as the paper ripped, followed by the fizzing noises as the soluble tablet exploded to life in the remaining water. She drank the remaining liquid gratefully and allowed her head to fall back on the comforting pillow, feeling too sick to question why she was in an unfamiliar setting.

* * *

11am

"Oh god" she croaked as she tentatively opened an eye, remembering the pain her head had been pounding with. Thankfully the aspirin seemed to have taken some effect, and she opened the other eye, relieved that the room was no longer spinning. She slowly took in her surroundings, trying to adjust to the winter sunlight that streamed in the uncovered windows. One of them was cracked open, allowing a chill to circulate around the large room. The wooden beams on the high ceilings caught her attention, and she focused on the smooth grain of the wood, trying not to think about how she'd ended up in Charles' flat, under the sheets in his bed, still in her dress from the night before, and with a now slightly diminishing hangover.

She knew it was his flat. She'd spent enough time sorting out the arrangements with the estate agent when he and Rebecca had split up and he needed a place to live. She'd had to come here before to pick up odd bits and pieces for him, and had fallen in love with the place on first sight. The building was an old converted warehouse in Shoreditch, which had been restored to keep all of the exterior brickwork, beautiful old features and high ceilings. The interior wasn't over the top, everything kept clean and simple. It suited him perfectly.

She sat up in the enormous bed, still trying to order her brain enough to remember what had happened last night. The French doors in the master bedroom were currently closed, but led out to a small outdoor terrace. She focused her eyes towards them as she observed the cold winter frost on the wooden deck. The sound of traffic could be heard clearly through the slightly open window, and she reasoned that it must be at least mid-morning. As her eyes moved to the bedside table, she noticed her watch beside the glass that had been laid out for her together with the empty wrapper from the aspirin. They'd clearly been left out by him. She pulled the watch from the table. _11am_. The evidence was mounting in her head that she'd obviously been in such a state that he'd known she would have a hangover.

 _Shit. What did I do?_

She was still wearing her dress from the night before, the silky material crumpled and worn from spending a full night in bed wearing it. The warning signs continued to mount with his absence from the room. His suit from last night had been placed over a chair at the side of the bed, his jacket hanging over the high corner of the wooden seat, and his trousers and belt folded nearly over it. His creased white shirt hung over them, and she only just managed to resist the urge to grab the crumpled material, and bring it to her nose to inhale what she knew would be the most glorious smell. She shook her head at the absurdity of the moment.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_

Molly reluctantly swung one leg over the edge of the bed, followed by another as she groaned at the dull pain that travelled through her body. There was a gnawing ache in one of her knees, and she examined it slowly, pulling her skirt past the skin and groaning when she saw the freshly formed cuts and bruises decorating the area. _Shitting hell. Molly Dawes strikes again._ She felt a tear fall down her cheek, and unsure of whether it was from pain or embarrassment, she swept it away.

The silence was broken suddenly with a bang as the front door of the flat was closed. Molly tried to regroup as quickly as she could, flattening her hair into some semblance of order from the tangles she knew would be there, and smoothing the material of her dress. She could hear bustling in the open plan kitchen and living area that she knew was outside the room, a low level of whistling accompanying the bustling. She recognised the song he was whistling. _Like a Virgin._ _Why was the sound of that song registering a dull ache in her brain?_

She slowly stood up from the bed on wobbly legs, wincing at the surge of pain from her knee as she did so. Her feet pounded from the high shoes she'd been wearing, and she could tell that last night must have involved dancing. There was no other explanation for the searing pain in her feet. She caught sight of herself from the full-length mirror on the opposite side of the room. Black mascara was smudged over her eyes, and her hair was in an even worse state than she'd anticipated. Her skin was pale and deathly. The overall effect was compounded by the horror she felt that she was going to have to face him looking like this. She crept closer to the mirror, ignoring the ache in her body as she moved, and swept a dampened finger across her eyelids, trying to get rid of the clumps of makeup that had gathered there, attempting to smooth her hair again with the other hand.

Before she could finish, the door crept open a few inches, moving wider when he recognised that she wasn't still in his bed sleeping. Charles stood, covered in sweat , in his workout gear, taking in the sight of Molly with amusement dancing in his eyes. She didn't miss the way he looked her up and down, although she assumed it was with horror rather than anything else. His eyes engaged with hers as he finally broke the silence.

"Sleeping beauty awakes." The hint of sarcasm wasn't lost on Molly.

"More like the nightmare before Christmas" she sheepishly looked away from the mirror, torn between keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the floor, and admiring the sight that was right in front of her. His grey tshirt was damp and clung to his torso, which shook gently as he laughed at her comment. Several beads of sweat gathered on his forehead, his curly hair matted down from sweat. She saw him in this state practically every morning, but there was something about it in addition to being trapped in his bedroom with him when she already felt vulnerable and embarrassed that wasn't sitting comfortably with her. She shifted in front of the mirror, trying to divert attention from herself.

"I was just gonna look for my shoes an' that, and get going." She shuffled awkwardly, trying not to outwardly yelp when the material of her dress rubbed against the open wound on her knee as she walked. His brow furrowed a little, the tiny beads of sweat flowing down the line in a row. She wondered if it would be really too much to try and kiss them away, before she gave herself a mental shake for even thinking about it.

He wasn't saying a word, simply standing with his hands on his hips observing her, before she felt the urgent pressing on her bladder, and remembered where she had been headed before he entered the room.

"I'll just..use the loo first if that's alright?" She backed away when he nodded. As she backed towards the door of the en suite bathroom, she heard his voice call out to her. He sounded hesitant, a pause between his initial words. "You don't need to go. I thought you might want to stay." The words trailed through the empty space between them, remaining unanswered as she closed the bathroom door and locked it behind her urgently, rushing to the mirror again to check that, yes, she did look as bad as she thought she did, and no, there's no way he would have thought otherwise. _Great_.

She tried to maintain a false sense of bravado as she called past the locked door. "S'alright, I know you'll have plans, it's Christmas Eve tomorrow." The response from him was silence, but she didn't allow her disappointment that he hadn't even tried to convince her otherwise to resonate. She moved to the loo and inched her dress back up, swearing under her breath again when the material touched her knee. It was only when she moved further to lower herself, that she realised an essential piece of the process was missing.

 _Where the fuck are my knickers?_

Panic rose in her chest as it occurred to her that something might have happened between them last night, and she was too pissed to remember it. Last night might have been her one and only chance to memorise exactly what it felt like to be with him. She wasn't going to kid herself that she realistically thought she'd get more than one attempt at this - as soon as he realised how ill-suited they were to each other, how much out of her league he truly was, he was likely to run a mile. What if last night was the only time anything would happen and she couldn't remember a sodding thing?

 _Shit, shit, shit._

She washed her hands and took a deep breath, not even bothering to fix her appearance in the mirror any further. She peeked her head out of the room, stopping in her tracks when she realised he'd pulled his damp t-shirt from his body, and was currently placing it in the dirty laundry. She had imagined the sight of his gloriously bare chest so many times that she almost forgot it was the first time she was seeing it for real. His furrowed brow disappeared for a moment, his eyes twinkling with mild amusement as he watched her stammer in the entrance to the room, unable to move any further.

"I..er...I seem to have lost something?" She braced herself and ventured forward as her bare feet broached the wooden floorboards in his bedroom once again. The floor was heated, and the warm sensation began to soothe her aching feet slightly.

"Really?" His head arched towards her, a half grin decorating his face. He suspected he had a feeling he knew what she was on about, but he wasn't about to make it any easier on her. "What would that be?"

"My underwear" she murmured, all of a sudden finding the wooden beams on the ceiling very interesting once more. She didn't notice the dark flash in his eyes as he recalled removing the very same item from her body the night before. He made his way towards the suit that hung over the chair beside his bed, and pulled the thin scrap of lace from his jacket pocket, holding it tightly in his hand. Molly exhaled loudly, unsurprised at the rush of lust she felt seeing him standing topless and clutching her underwear. A breath shuddered from her throat, the raggedness of it catching her off guard.

"Are these what you're looking for?" He couldn't help but smile mischievously as he took in her flushed appearance.

"Oh god" her nervousness in this unusual situation became even worse, and her imagination began to run riot. "Did we? I mean I know I wanted to, but I can't remember what happened, and if something did happen and I don't remember it, I'm gonna be so.." Molly mumbled, trailing off as she realised that she was so far out of her depth that it wasn't funny.

He considered her discomfort, and realised that he should probably stop taking the piss if he actually wanted her to start feeling comfortable enough to stay. He sat down on the bed, sinking into the mattress, and gestured with his head for her to move closer to him. She took tentative steps towards him, still transfixed by his semi-clothed presence. His hand was raised towards her, gesturing for her to place hers in it and move even closer to him. She resisted until the very last minute, still feeling horribly self-conscious. His legs were open, and as soon as she granted him access to her hand, he brought her body closer to him, so that his legs straddled her body at the end of the bed. His eyes were level with her chest, but he looked directly into her eyes.

"How much do you remember?" There was no judgment, or annoyance in his tone, just simple curiosity.

"I remember leaving the office with you, and what happened in the office" she flushed and looked away as she recalled the intensity of that moment at the photocopier with him. "And I definitely remember most of the meal. After that, it gets a bit hazy. I do have a memory of Em getting shots at some point."

"Ok. Let's just say you drank more than one shot." He grimaced as he recalled the force with which the two women had been knocking back drinks.

"Yeah, I was kinda gettin' that impression. Did I make a tit of myself?" She braced herself, not entirely willing to hear the answer.

"Not as much as Emily did" he tried to lead with the fact that there had at least been somebody who was more disgracefully drunk than Molly.

"Oh god. What did we do?"

"Well you both decided to monopolise the karaoke machine in the pub, for a start. My personal favourite was 'Like a Virgin', think Madonna might be seriously worried she's got competition."

"I sang karaoke? I can't bleedin' sing to save myself" the look of horror on her face was cracking him up, and he struggled to maintain a straight face.

"Oh, I know. I tried to remind you of that fact, but you, and I'm quoting here, said ' _you're just jealous Charles, of my singing. You and your perfect hair can sod off over to that seat and enjoy it_ ' And enjoy it I did. I particularly enjoyed the two of you trying to make conical bras out of beer mats, to really reinforce the Madonna look. They provided quite the cushion when you fell off the stage, arse over tit." She buried her head in her hands in response. "I didn't" she muttered from somewhere between her fingers, hoping he was joking.

"You did" he couldn't help but laugh at her horrified reaction. "You put on quite a show. How's your leg by the way? I tried to clean it up last night, but you were having none of it."

"It's fine, didn't even notice it" she lied, ignoring the sceptical raise of his eyebrows. "Why wouldn't I let you clean it?"

"Well, I'd carried you back here since I couldn't get a cab for love nor money. Did you know the last Friday before Christmas is called Black Friday because it's impossible to get a taxi?" she shook her head and he continued, "anyway, by the time we got back, you'd decided there was absolutely no way that you'd let me clean it up, and that you'd treat me to a striptease instead. You got as far as your shoes before you passed out on the bed." He really was struggling to maintain a straight face now, and Molly's sense of mortification had increased tenfold.

"So we didn't?"

"No, we bloody didn't - what do you take me for?"

"Sorry"

"What for? You seemed to have fun. And I don't think I helped, relieving you of your knickers in the restaurant. You seemed to start necking them down after that point."

Molly nodded, suddenly remembering some of the heated moments between them in the darkened cloakroom and feeling a rush of heat move to between her legs. "I was worried"

"Worried about what?"

"About this, about us. I've imagined it for so long. I wanted to make sure I was good enough. I thought if I had a few drinks, I'd be less nervous."

"Molly" he sighed and pulled her down into his lap. She could feel his bare chest against her arms, and couldn't help but trace her fingers along the broad expanse of skin, her fingernails catching the light hairs that decorated the area. "You're right, I have plans for today."

She looked up from where her fingers had been lingering near his nipple, and went to stand, unable to look at him after having it confirmed that she'd completely blown it. "Right. Shit. Sorry, I mean I'll just get my stuff together and.."

He stilled her attempts to move, trapping her in his hold as he spoke into her ear. "They involved you. And they didn't involve leaving the flat." For the second time in less than twenty four hours, he found himself tugging at the zip of her dress, pulling it down slowly.

"What you doing?"

"I think we both need a shower. And luckily, I have a very large…..shower" Molly giggled as he wiggled his eyebrows at the last sentence.

He stood her up between his legs once more, and stood up himself, offering her a hand as he pulled her back towards the bathroom. The room was large and entirely covered in marble, the huge shower encased in a glass corner of the room. He left her briefly to step into it and switch the water on. The sound of the pounding streams of water revived Molly from the daze she was currently experiencing.

Charles returned to stand behind her as he continued to pull her dress away from her body. His hands rubbed her aching shoulders for a brief minute, as the air between them crackled to life. The dress was soon cast over her shoulders, the material pooling around her waist and exposing her bare chest to the room. The room was fast filling with steam from the running shower, and it felt heavenly to her wearied body. The other thing that felt heavenly were his wandering hands, taking over from where they had left off the previous night in the office, as he stood behind her. His touch was soft and reassuring, lulling her back into a foggy haze.

She felt the silk material of her dress brush against her hips and legs as it fell to the floor in one fluid movement, leaving her completely exposed to him. His back was pressed against her, skin against skin, until he pulled away to remove the layers on his bottom half. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the fact that he was completely naked behind her. She felt the anticipation gather in every part of her body, almost outweighed by the gnawing fear that this was it; there was absolutely no going back from this, not for her anyway. She could never go back to just being his PA after this. When it all went tits up, as it would inevitably do at some point, she was going to have to cut herself off from him completely. Still, she'd worry about that later.

Charles had registered the fact that she had stiffened in his arms, and stood behind her once more, so close that she could feel every inch of his body pressed against hers. He placed a hand on each shoulder to turn her around so that she faced him. "You're so beautiful" he whispered as he took in the sight of her naked body, placing a hand on the curve of her waist to pull her closer to him. "Why are your eyes closed?" he asked with amusement, watching her squeeze her eyes closed in front of him.

"Cos once I've opened them, that's it. Right now, I can just pretend to myself what you look like naked. Once I open my eyes, that's it. I'll be ruined." He chuckled at her reasoning as he took her small hands and placed them on his shoulders. "If you're not going to look at me, can you at least touch me?" he joked.

Molly weighed it up briefly before shaking her head forcefully. "Not sure, that might ruin me too"

"Well then this is going to be a very one sided shower."

She considered his point briefly. "Thought we were goin' in the shower to get clean?"

"Yes, but I plan on getting very dirty again afterwards" he laughed as she forgot herself and opened her eyes to glare at him.

"You opened your eyes" he observed, as her gaze wandered across his body, drinking in the sight before her.

 _Oh shit, I'm definitely ruined._

She wasn't sure what to enjoy first; she had already been rewarded with the sight of his broad shoulders and chest, his muscles defined and firm, but not scarily big. He was completely perfect, and it terrified her. Her gaze moved to his thighs, his legs exactly how she had imagined them in all of her fantasies, muscular and defined. That led her to his increasingly hard erection, throbbing impatiently between them.

It was too much at once, and she felt her pulse quicken to ridiculously high levels; desire and panic competing to see which would prevail. He seemed to sense the increasing anxiety radiating from her, and took her wrist in his hand, leading her into the large walk-in shower through the sliding glass panel. The shower head was a large round disc jutting out from high above them. It offered more than enough room for them both to stand under it at once.

As soon as the pulsing jets of warm water attacked her body, Molly began to feel herself coming back to life, the embarrassment and discomfort from the previous night washing down the drain with the dirty water. Charles grabbed a large bottle of what she knew was an obscenely expensive shower gel from the ledge beside them, and worked it into a lather in his hands. He washed her slowly and carefully, exploring her body with the bubbles spread by his wandering hands. She was taken aback by the smell of him; the scent of the soap he was washing her with was simply _him._ He was surrounding her in every way, and it felt comforting and overwhelming at the same time

His hands ground and washed over her chest, paying particular attention to her breasts as he kneaded and massaged them, enjoying the now escalating moans escaping from her. His soapy fingers moved to cover her stomach, trailing over the soft skin of her abdomen as she leaned back and felt the jets of water fall over her face. He placed two warm palms on the very lowest plane of her stomach, fingers massaging and spreading towards her pubic bone and beyond.

The combination of the way his hands were caressing her, and the warm streams of water were combining to create a warm haze for Molly. She was no longer able to ignore the urgent pressing of need deep in her belly, and she used her hands to move his fingers closer to where she needed them, placing them between her legs as she urged him to continue. He took the hint and spread her apart with his fingers, checking her responses to ensure that she was still happy to continue. He couldn't help but feel a warm rush of affection through his body for her when he looked at her face. Her cheeks were flushed from the warm water, her hair completely soaked and flowing down her back. She had closed her eyes again, although they soon fluttered open when she realised his attention had been diverted from the task at hand. She stared at him, wondering what had distracted him.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing" he moved his face towards her and kissed the tip of her nose gently. "Just realised I hadn't kissed you yet." He placed his lips on hers, and she responded hungrily, snaking her arms around his neck as he felt her tongue broach his mouth almost immediately. The kiss was deeper and far more urgent than he'd anticipated, both of their tongues exploring. His teeth clashed against hers forcefully, and he tried to rein it in a little, returning to his previous explorations with his hand.

His fingers returned to the warm folds of skin between her thighs, running along her wetness firmly. He lifted her up and around him to stop himself from hunching over her body, and felt her respond enthusiastically, wrapping her legs around him when her feet left the ground. His thumb found her enlarged clit and ground against it in a circular motion, causing her to gasp out loud with surprise. She ground her hips forcefully against his body as he continued to press on the sweet spot.

Molly clung to his neck, panting in his ear as he carried on. He could barely hear her, but she became louder when he shifted them against the marble wall and eased two long fingers deep inside of her. She cried out at the sudden sensation of him inside of her, his fingertips pressing against her walls to create a feeling of friction that was causing a flickering surge of pleasure to begin to flow somewhere deep inside of her and increase in pace. When he heard her cries intensify, he added a third finger, all restraint forgotten with her mewling in his ear.

"Please don't stop. Please" she whined as he continued to explore her with his fingers, finding the textured spot deep inside of her that he suspected would cause her to explode. _He was right._ She shouted his name loudly once and then again, her voice breaking with emotion as he pressed down firmly on the correct spot with the tips of his fingers. He felt her entire body tense around him, followed by a brief moment of stillness before the contractions begin to take hold of her. There were no more discernible words coming from her, just a high pitched series of moans as her body sprung back into life and she shuddered and jolted around him.

She felt the waves of sensation take over her body completely, her thighs trembling around him with the shock of the intense jolts. He tried to continue with his movements, but it was too much stimulation for her, and she tried desperately to pull away from his hand, the moment proving too much for her over-sensitised body. He could still feel her legs shaking around his body, and he held her in place as she returned to earth, the water still pounding down on them both. He was struggling for breath himself, the inordinate amount of male pride he felt from providing her with such pleasure causing him to grin devilishly as his breathing rate returned to something resembling normal.

He switched the water off, and pulled her still shivering body with him as he exited the shower. There was a heated chrome radiator which held several fluffy towels, and he wrapped one around her as she stared at him, her brain beginning to return to a semi reasonable function. She took another towel to dry her hair with, and moved closer, until her chin rested on his damp chest.

"That was...-" she struggled for a description of what had just taken place inside of her body, her body still flushed pink with heat. "-it was like nothing that's ever happened to me before." She blinked away the tear that she knew was on the verge of falling from her eye. "I mean, with anybody else. It's never been like that." He hugged her body towards him, and she felt his persistent hardness against the towel that was now wrapped around his waist. Molly couldn't restrain herself from opening the white, fluffy material to look at his naked body once more.

 _I knew I was ruined._

She placed a palm around the stiff thickness of him as he hissed in her ear. Her wrist began to inch up and down in a rhythmical movement around him, slowly, but enough to make him close his eyes and let his head fall back. As her pace increased, he placed his large hand on top of hers, letting her know exactly how he wanted her to move as he grunted with delight.

"Shit Molly. You need to stop." He stilled the movement of both of their hands, pulling her with him towards the bedroom. As he moved towards the bedside table to retrieve a condom, she wrapped her arms around him from behind where he stood, hands trembling as he tried to rip the foil packet open.

"I'm on the pill."

His shaking hands had never been so grateful to hear those four words; the knowledge that there were no more barriers to worry about sending a signal to his brain that he couldn't wait a second longer to be inside of her.

Molly lay back on the bed, her damp hair splayed out around her, looking so inviting that he nearly came on the spot. He kneeled on the bed beside her, his hands making their way straight to her body. She wasn't the only one who was ruined. He returned his fingers to her centre, feeling that her wetness hadn't diminished one single bit. He moved over her and slowly began to ease his length inside of her, stalling when he heard her grit her teeth underneath him. He pulled out slightly, only stopping when she placed her hands on his back.

"I need you inside me" she gasped. "Don't stop." Her words were enough to send him close to the edge, and he eased in once more, feeling the tight dampness completely envelop him.

"Oh fuck, Molly" he struggled to enunciate the words, all of the blood in his body deserting him to flow straight to his middle. She wasn't faring much better, a feeling of fullness she had never encountered until this moment taking over her body. As they settled into each other's bodies, Molly wrapped her legs around his waist, and encouraged him to move as much as he needed, pulling on the muscles on his back with her fingers.

He needed no further encouragement, and began to move slowly in and out, his strokes leaving her gasping when he pulled out, only to moan in satisfied pleasure when he filled her up once more. She could feel the same spot as before being stroked deep inside of her as he filled her, the waves beginning to take hold. Charles couldn't help but let out a husky moan as he built up to a crescendo with each time he slammed back into her body, her tight walls expanding to accommodate his length. It was her words whispered in his ear which signalled the beginning of the end.

"Keep going" she pulled on his back with her clawed fingers. "I'm gonna come again" she muttered as her eyes closed with concentration, her focus entirely on the flame of pleasure; the one that was building up to a full blown explosion.

He felt the waves begin to ripple deeply in her. Her walls contracted around him like a vice, and it was enough to pull him over the edge, his voice hoarse and foreign to him as he called out loudly. He repeated her name over and over as he felt himself release once, and then two more times, a warm feeling of satisfaction exploding in his brain. Molly was taken over the edge at the same time, and she clung to him as her eyes fluttered back and closed in the face of her orgasm. She only felt reality begin to pervade her consciousness once more as she felt a serious of nips along her chin, his mouth kissing her tenderly as he lay on top of her, still breathless and still buried deep inside of her. They stayed that way until both chests had stopped heaving, the cold chill of the winter air from the open window beginning to be felt by both of their bodies.

The tender moment was disturbed only by the low rumble of laughter that emerged from Charles' chest as he moved slightly to let Molly breathe. She watched him curiously as he moved to the side, still holding her tightly.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing" he grinned as he shook his head. "It's just very apt."

She watched his amusement with a smile. "What is?"

He grinned to himself and started singing, an impression of the tuneless wailing that the bar had been subjected to the previous night.

"Like a Virgin, touched for the very first time.."

He cracked up with laughter as he continued to sing. "Like a Viiiiiiirgin, when your heart beats next to mine."

"Shut the fuck up" she tried to maintain a horrified expression in the face of his teasing before launching a pillow at his head as he ducked out of the way. They fell back into each other's arms as both exploded into sudden laughter.

* * *

 **AN. Sadly, the only autobiographical moments in this chapter were of the getting pissed and making an arse of yourself nature. But at least after that point I made sure our Molly had a good time! Got plenty of thanks to say for this chapter; to Lolagirl, for inspiring me to dig out the Madonna back catalogue, and to itsembarrassing for her ongoing fabulousness and her request to find out what actually happened to the pants..plus to all the lovely ladies on both mumsnet and the OG fan fiction group on FB. Thanks all! Sorry for the delay in updating, RL being a bit pesky at the moment, and being in a little bit of a writing funk hasn't helped. Hope you enjoyed anyway!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright?" she had picked up the mobile phone bearing his name with one hand and a screaming, sugar-high toddler under the other arm. "Wait a minute will you? I can't hear a thing with this lot in my ear." She placed her younger brother on the ground as he ran away gleefully, careering into one of his siblings with a shriek in the hallway.

Charles smiled as he listened to the general chaos on the other end of the line. It couldn't have sounded any more different to the claustrophobically quiet atmosphere in his mother's house. He had locked himself away in his old bedroom under the pretence of needing to deal with some emails before Christmas dinner was served. Nobody had believed him for a second, but they hadn't protested when he left the room.

"That's better" Molly slammed the door of the bedroom she used to share with her sister, Bella, until she had finally managed to save enough money for the deposit for her own flat. It had been 5 years since she slept in the small bed she sank into, and she lay back, taking in the familiar memory of the twinkling fairy lights that used to be the last thing she saw every night.

"Merry Christmas." His voice was rich and comforting to her, as unbeknownst to her, he also reclined in the bed he spent his teenage years in.

"Merry Christmas yourself." She tried not to let her stomach clench in relief that he had actually phoned; that she was high enough on his list of priorities to merit a phone call on Christmas day. "How you gettin' on at your mums?"

"Oh it's great. Personal highlight so far is a competition between watching mum and her new husband shove their tongues down each other's throat when I arrived this morning, or the interrogation from my sister about just why I had to treat Alice like such utter shit. It's been really enjoyable." His level of sarcasm was obvious as he cleared his throat and made himself more comfortable, placing one arm behind his head as he reclined onto the plumped up pillows that bore the hallmark of nobody ever actually sleeping on them. The room remained a shrine to his teenage achievements, his rugby trophies still lined up on a shelf on the wall. Even the wallpaper hadn't changed in all of the intervening years.

"Sounds better than this nuthouse. Me dad's only just put any kecks on, and even that's only cos the Queen's about to come on the telly, so Nan's on his case. The little bleeders are runnin' riot."

Charles chuckled at the mental image, rubbing his open palm against his chin to feel the stubble that was emerging after a few days of not having to shave. "Remind me why I wasn't allowed to just take you hostage in my flat today?"

Molly grinned at the recollection at the day and a half they'd already spent together in his home, blushing as she recalled some of the more intimate moments before she responded firmly. "Cos it's Christmas Day and we both had places to be. And if we hadn't left at some point, someone would've sent out a search party."

"I'm not buying into that. I shouldn't have listened to you, and all your reasonable, logical arguments. We could have been having so much more fun than this right now." She sniggered as he muttered down the phone. "We didn't get to christen all of the rooms. You did promise." Molly's stomach churned with the anticipation of what that sentence signified, her heartbeat quickening at the memory of their time together. She forced herself to calm down in the face of the overwhelming heat in her cheeks.

"Yeah-" she croaked "-but if we'd stayed at yours, then I wouldn't have got my nan's Christmas dinner. Those little sausages wrapped in bacon are the highlight of the year." He couldn't help but smile at her countering.

"I'm sure I could've come up with some sort of sausage of my own to please you." Grinning wider as he listened to her giggle, he continued "It's not so little though."

Although she couldn't see his smile, she could feel it from his warm tone. It was infectious. She couldn't help but respond with her tongue in her cheek. "You sure about that?"

"Oi. Less of that, cheeky. You weren't complaining yesterday."

"Yeah well, don't worry. You know what they say, it's not the size of the sausage that matters, it's how you cook it."

He was momentarily taken over by a deep chuckle. "Dirty cow", he observed dryly.

"You started it! I hope your sister can't hear this conversation, she'll be well pissed off with you."

"Nope. She's been trapped downstairs by mum, wanting to know why she hasn't been married off and given her any grandchildren yet. I'm quite enjoying it, it's the first time today mum's stopped giving me shit about Rebecca and the divorce."

Molly sighed in understanding. "Yeah well I can sympathise with your sister, that's all I get off my mum."

He sat back up, absent mindedly pulling pieces of thread from the cushion at the foot of the bed, suddenly feeling decidedly awkward about the conversation topic. "Are you kidding? You're 25, it's hardly a priority."

"You don't know my family. If you ain't knocked up by the time you're 19, you're in the minority. I'm practically a freak." She started to clam up when she heard him clear his throat again and realised this conversation was fast heading towards a place neither of them wanted to go.

 _Shit Molly, rewind_.

"So you're hidin' away from them?"

His tone remained relaxed. "Sounds about right"

"Where are you?" She closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillows on Bella's bed, finding herself wondering what his childhood home must look like. She knew his mum and dad weren't together, and that he had a sister, but that was the limit of her knowledge of his family.

"In my old room. Mum hasn't changed it a bit, it's freaking me out actually. I feel like I'm 15 again and I've stepped back in time."

"Bet that room's seen a bit of action." She joked as she moved her mobile to the opposite ear, rolling over in the bed to look at the photos Bella had stuck on the wall. There was one of all of the Dawes children gathered together, and her gaze stuck on it as she smiled at the sight of them all together.

"I think I can safely guarantee the opposite. 15 year old me wasn't exactly a hit with the ladies."

Molly scoffed, the thought of him being anything other than the beautiful, self assured man she knew completely foreign to her. "Now I know you're not serious."

"I'm completely serious. Although once-" he chuckled and tailed off before Molly intervened and demanded he finished his sentence. "Once what?"

"Well, Sarah had her friends round for a sleepover one night. They must have been about 17. My mum was away for the weekend, and she'd been told to look after me. One of her friends let me practice my non-existent kissing skills on her. Sarah was so bloody pissed off when she came to find her best friend in my room with her tongue down her little brother's throat." He recalled the distant childhood memory with a smile on his face.

"See, I told you I didn't believe you."

"Trust me, that was an exception. Anyway, less of my spotty and antisocial years. I'd rather you told me what you what you're wearing." He sniggered down the crackling line as Molly shuffled uncertainly towards the door to check it was properly closed before making her way back to the bed, ignoring the mayhem she could hear downstairs in the small flat. "I'll take the silence to mean nothing" he joked.

"Stop it!" she whispered accusingly. "I'm in my little sister's bed."

"Naughty. I like it."

Charles!"

"What?!" His tone was innocent, but there was a meaningful undertone, and Molly was left speechless at the fact that he had the ability to leave her a quivering wreck from one moment to the next.

"Jeans, and one of them naff Christmas jumpers Nan gave me from the market stall."

"What?" He repeated.

"You asked me what I'm wearing. Jeans, and a jumper - and they ain't sexy, trust me."

"Don't start. You'd be sexy in a bloody binbag."

"Doubt it"

"Unbutton the jeans"

"What?!" Her tone was genuinely shocked. "What part of 'in my sister's bed' didn't you get? Get a grip."

"Oh I've got one, don't worry" he joked as she laughed nervously at the change in direction he had taken. She had been enjoying hearing tales of his teenage years, the sudden need to know more about him scaring her with its intensity.

"CHARLES?" a voice called out from the distant hallway, disturbing his vocal encouragement of Molly. He groaned when he heard Sarah's feet pad down the hallway before the door swung open to reveal his reclining figure on the bed, his elder sister arching her head knowingly as she took in his relaxed posture and grin. "You need to get down here and take the heat off of me, I can't take it anymore. I can only look good in comparison to your divorced arse."

"I'm coming" he reluctantly answered, glaring at her intrusion. He couldn't help but laugh though, when Molly interjected in her own inimitable way down the phone. "I _thought_ that's what you were tryin' to do."

"Very funny. Listen, I need to go, I'll speak to you later."

"Get a girl all worked up and then cut her off, charming."

"I'll make up for it." He promised cheekily before his parting word. "Bye" he signed off with a reluctant sigh.

Unfortunately those weren't the last words Molly heard as Charles signed off from the phonecall.

"Who was that?" His inquisitive sister prompted him.

"Nobody." He stated firmly as he finally ended the call, under the impression Molly would have already done so, and unaware that she'd heard his dismissal.

At the caustic glare from his sister he clarified his comment. "Nobody that's any of your business, anyway. Come on, move."

In London, Molly stared at her phone, trying not to let the dismissive way he referred to her to his sister bother her.

 _Why would I expect anything else?_

* * *

The chink of cutlery against the white china in the dining room was the only noise as Charles, Sarah, their mother and Toby, her new husband politely finished the meal in front of them, concentrating on chewing and scraping their food along the plates rather than interaction. Over the years, Charles had become used to his family consisting of just him, his mother and sister. His father hadn't featured in the picture for years, after what they all referred to as his midlife crisis and departure from the family picture. There were sporadic cards and letters, but both James siblings had been firmly encouraged to pick a side in the divorce; that side was always going to be their mother's. There had never been anybody else in his her life, or at least nobody that either of her children knew about. They were therefore both completely blindsided when, during the course of the previous Christmas, gathered at the dinner table, Elizabeth James had announced that she was to remarry; that she had struck up a relationship with a man named Toby from her book club, and that they were to be married in the spring.

The marriage had gone ahead, both Charles and his sister surprised at the nature of the tactile relationship between the pair, and the way in which the bitterness their mother had always emitted about her marriage breakdown had slowly begun to dissipate, neutralised slightly by meeting somebody else to love. Toby was a quiet but warm man. His easy going, demonstrative nature was a perfect foil to the steely nature his mother had always displayed. She had doubtlessly softened a little over the course of the time she had known Toby, although her moments of sharp tongued and often astute observations were generally reserved for the 'benefit' of her children, neither of whom ever gratefully received the comments.

The awkwardness currently on display at the table had very little to do with Toby's presence within the group; both Charles and Sarah genuinely liked him. The silence was instead largely due to the comments his mother had preceded dinner with. She had rubbed the inside of her finger with her new wedding band as she addressed her children.

"I called Rebecca this morning"

Charles frowned and concentrated on rearranging the crockery in front of him so that it sat at right angles. "Why on earth would you do that?"

"She was a big part of our lives for years Charles. I wanted to wish her a merry Christmas. It would have been nice if you could have done the same thing, she says she hasn't heard from you since the divorce was finalised."

"Sorry, I hadn't consulted my manual of divorce etiquette to check whether a Christmas Day phone call was appropriate." He sighed as his knife moved slightly when he brushed his hand over it, and went to rearrange it again, trying his hardest to ignore his rising heckles.

"Don't try and be witty Charles, it doesn't suit you." The putdown wasn't unusual, and Charles didn't flinch.

"He was a little too busy on the phone to somebody else this afternoon to phone Rebecca anyway." Sarah piped up from her place at the table, still stinging from her earlier conversation with her mother, and eager to take the heat from herself. Charles aimed a look at her which roughly translated to 'remind me to kill you later' whilst Sarah grinned.

 _Just what I need, an interrogation_.

"Who were you on the telephone with Charles?" Elizabeth's tone was casual, but Charles was more than aware of how much potential there was for this conversation to go wrong.

"Mother" his tone was impatient. "I think your right of approval over the people I speak to ended when I grew up."

"You grew up?" Sarah interrupted jokingly, feeling guilty for her input and trying to cut through the tension. "When did I blink and miss that?!"

Both Charles and Elizabeth ignored the joking aside to stare each other out. "Have you met somebody?" The question hung in the air, as Sarah and Toby also looked up at him with interest.

"No" Charles confirmed resolutely, lying through his teeth before looking down and concentrating on the food in front of him. He consoled himself about the fact that he'd just told a barefaced lie, telling himself that he would never in a million years expose Molly to his mother's acid tongue. The fact that she was his PA would make things much worse, the uncomfortable echoes of his father's actions 20 years ago still plaguing the family he'd left behind when he set up home with his assistant. Charles shuddered to think of the reception Molly would get for that very reason.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, the tension palpable in the air. Charles swore there and then that Molly would never have to be exposed to this. He was entirely content to keep their fledgling relationship just between them, no need for interference from others.

* * *

The scene at the Dawes family home couldn't have been more different. In the absence of a table big enough to seat them all, Belinda had borrowed a wallpapering table from an old mate, the length of it easily able to seat all of the Dawes in the living room with the telly still on. A long paper tablecloth had been stuck over it to disguise the stains of the wallpaper paste, and different stools and chairs of varying heights were assembled to allow them to eat together on Christmas Day for the first time in Molly's memory.

Molly sat sandwiched between her youngest brother and Bella, her chin practically lined up with the top of the table, since she'd been unfortunate enough to choose the low footstool as her chair. She couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of it all as Nan made her way through from the tiny kitchen with overflowing trays of food for them all to help themselves from.

"Where d'you get all this food? This is unbelievable!"

"Well the cash you gave to your mum 'elped" Nan confirmed, shooting a glare at Dave to reassert her fury that he hadn't contributed a penny to the Christmas spread. "And my mate Kevin got us a job lot off the back of a lorry. There's enough turkey and ham 'ere to see us through the whole week."

"Just what I need" moaned Dave, his head gesturing towards Nan. "Her bone dry turkey for a whole bloody week. Wreaks havoc with my insides, you wouldn't believe it Molls."

"If you don't like it, you know what you can bloody do - stick your hand in your pint money and pay for something better, you tightarse." Nan's voice dimmed as she left the room to collect the next tray.

"Just sayin" Dave whispered across the table conspiratorially to Molly. "You can tell she's an expert in tough old birds."

Molly giggled as Nan called from the hallway: "there's nothin' wrong with this old bird's ears so belt up, before I do it for ya."

"Old bint" Dave whispered under his breath, dodging an elbow from his wife as she took her place beside him.

"How's that job of yours goin' Molls?" enquired Belinda. "You're not still havin' to work all them late hours are you?"

"Depends mum-" Molly shovelled the food into her plate, grinning when she reached the tray of sausages she had been joking about earlier. "-on whether Charles needs me for anything."

"Charles? What kinda poncey name is _Charles_?" Dave drawled out the name in a posh accent as he stuffed a roast potato in his mouth, not even bothering to cut it in half. "He better not be takin' advantage of my Molls" he forced out the words as he chewed with his mouth wide open to let the boiling hot potato cool down in his mouth.

"Pipe down Dave, it's only you what does that" muttered Nan as she placed the last tray on the table. "Anyways, he's a bit of alright, isn't he Molls?"

"How'd you know that?"

"I saw his picture in the paper. Recognised the name. He's giving some lectures at the local college to the kids doin' business studies."

"I forgot about that" Molly admitted, recalling the journalist who had phoned for a quote from him a few weeks previously. "Anyway, he don't take advantage, it's my job to help him."

"Hope he pays you overtime for them extra hours." Dave's hand was smacked away from the tray nearest to him as he tried to lift an extra slice of ham. "Let the kids get theirs first you greedy bugger" Belinda muttered.

"Can't do right for doin' wrong in this house" he muttered as he returned his attention to Molly. "You make sure he pays you right and don't take the piss out of ya, these poncey bastards think they can get away with murder just cos they're in a suit and they got a few bob in their pocket."

"He ain't like that Dad." Molly shook her head vociferously as she tried to run a knife through the leather-like texture of the turkey on her plate.

"They're all like that Molls. At the end of the day, the likes of us are just the hired help when it comes to that lot. You make sure you get every penny you deserve out of 'im."

"Whatever. I ain't havin' this argument with you." Molly grumbled as she tried not to let the warning bells in her head continue with Dave's words.

"You mark my words Molls. The likes of him'll take everything you've got then leave you high and dry. We don't live in the same world as them, it's different rules."

 _He might just be right about that._ The voice she was trying to silence taunted Molly as she continued to eat quietly, the noisy din of her assembled family failing to drown out the negative voices that were beginning to challenge her.

* * *

 _ **AN - sorry this update has taken a bit longer than usual, a bad combination of the writing wobbles and very busy RL hasn't been a good one. I know this didn't have a lot of action, but should hopefully give a bit more perspective on where both of their heads are in this situation. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to encourage or just say a nice word about this story so far, it means a lot.**_


	4. Chapter 4

27th December. The quiet few days between Christmas and New Year where the masses spent time among their families, trying desperately to keep their temper and not erupt into cabin fever from the sudden and intense company of their nearest and dearest.

Not Molly though. Among the empty desks in the lone office, only hers was occupied. The office at this time of year was a sanctuary; a perfect excuse to get out of the chaos she now knew the Dawes' household would be taking part in. There was no way she could have escaped back to her flat and routine without the solid excuse of having work to go to. Peace, silence, and a place for her to stop and draw breath after the total strangeness of the last few days. And she counted those pre-Christmas days with Charles as part of that strangeness. Had it really been her, Molly Dawes, who spent nearly a whole day and night wrapped up in his bed around him? After Christmas spent with her family, it felt like it could have happened to a complete stranger.

The phone at her desk wasn't willing to let her consider the question for much longer, the shrill ring pulling her from her thoughts. Her headset was pulled on without hesitation as she pressed the green flashing button to take the call.

"Astratto developments, Charles James' line. How can I help you?"

Her opening line to any phone conversation was always repeated without hesitation, the words tumbling out of her mouth many times a day. This one may have been a slower day than usual, but her habits hadn't changed to account for it.

The woman's voice on the other side of the phone was smooth and friendly. "Hello. Could I speak to Mr James please?"

"I'm afraid he's on annual leave today. Can I take a message?"

"Oh. I'd rather been hoping to be able to speak with him today." The disappointment from her tone was evident even to Molly's bored ears. "Does he have a mobile number I could contact him on?"

"He's not working today. If you could let me know what it's about, I'll pass the message onto him when he gets back in the office." Molly drummed her fingers on the desk, well used to people who didn't seem to respect boundaries between work and personal life, but feeling irritated by the request in any case.

"Can you get a message to him today?" The persistence in tone was clear and Molly's interest was piqued. What was this woman after? It was the few days between Christmas and New Year where hardly anybody came into the office. Molly always savoured the quiet time and had been hoping to get on top of her workload. She had barely expected the phone to ring today, never mind anything urgent to crop up.

"That depends? Is somebody dying? Cos I think that's the only reason he'll be ok about getting disturbed on his Christmas break."

"Let's just say I have an opportunity for him."

Molly tapped her fingers on the desk. Her ragged fingernails dragged on the solid surface; a reminder that she really needed to get them seen to. Her annoyance at the persistence of the mystery caller was fading, and she tried to bury a yawn.

"Let me guess? A rich distant relative of his in Nigeria's left him millions in his will and you just need his bank details to pay the cash in?"

"Are you his PA? If so, you really ought to maintain a semblance of professionalism." The voice on the other end of the phone had progressed from a friendly tone to something resembling outright hostility at her failure to get what she needed.

Molly sighed, well used to the demanding nature of many of the callers who tried to get a hold of him when he was unavailable. "I tell you what, you tell me about this opportunity and I'll text him the message; let him be the judge of whether he wants to get back to you today."

"Perfect. You see, it's not too difficult to be helpful, is it?"

* * *

It took an age to decide what tone she should take when getting in touch with him. The boundaries were still totally undefined, with no clear rules for the way she should act around him. Was he her boss? Her friend? Her one night stand? Her 'boss with benefits'? The day they'd spent together she'd done things she hadn't done with any other man in her life. They'd murmured words against each other's skin, but she knew better than to think they were real. Things were said in the heat of the moment that weren't necessarily true. She knew it wasn't a relationship, and tried to remind herself that they'd sworn to have fun with each other instead of reading too much into it.

She kept it short and sweet in the end, writing exactly what she would if the last few days hadn't happened.

 _You busy?_

The silence for the next few minutes was overwhelming until her phone beeped in response, her heart rate increasing with it.

 _Escaped mum's. Just dropped Sarah off at her flat. How's work? Miss me yet?_

Was he flirting? He was definitely flirting. _Shit_.

 _Some parts more than others ;-) Listen, there's some journalist looking for you. Says she needs to speak to you today.._

 _It'll be the usual bollocks. Tell her I'll call her in the new year. Which parts are you missing exactly?_

 _I did tell her - she wasn't having it. She reckons she wants to do an interview with you about how wonderful you are. I double checked it was definitely you she was after when she said that. Want her number?_

 _P.S. Definitely miss your wallet. I forgot you usually get lunch in on a Friday :-)_

 _Email me her details and I'll check it out. She obviously has a good journalistic sense for the truth if she thinks I'm wonderful. Dinner tonight? I'll use my wallet since you miss it so much._

 _That depends. You gonna use the other things I missed?_

 _My charm and good humour? Course._

 _First time for everything I suppose._

 _Didn't realise it would be your first time. Haven't you been on a date before?_

 _It's a date? You can't take me on a date, you're crap at them, remember?_

 _It's alright, I've got a brilliant PA to sort it all out for me._

 _She must be a miracle worker. Anyway, think your brilliant PA might be a bit busy working while you dick about on your holidays._

 _Doubt it, she's probably too busy pissing about on her phone to do any work. Pick you up at 7?_

 _Suppose so, haven't had any better offers._

 _Charming. Miss you too._

 _What parts?_

 _All of them. X_

* * *

"You look beautiful." His mouth was set in a wide beaming grin as Molly jumped up into the car, escaping the howling wind and rain outside. It was one of those sodding high 4x4s, one that she had to try and pretend she had long legs to get into with some dignity. She wrestled her umbrella back down as she sat on the leather, and attempted to flatten her hair from the wavy mess that the wind and teaming rain had created. She'd been at pains to choose an outfit that looked like she hadn't stood in front of the wardrobe for 45 minutes panicking, in the end opting for thick opaque tights and a knitted jumper dress with long sleeves that at least showed she had a cleavage. The effect was totally knocked out by her thick winter coat, but he'd at least see it when they arrived for food. Wherever that was. He'd been vague about their destination when she texted him to try and decide what kind of outfit she should wear.

"Do me a favour, I've just done ten rounds with Mother Nature between the front door and the car." She tried to flatten a particularly flyaway section of hair before he stilled her hand with his own and pulled her towards him, placing his lips on hers before she had a chance to say anything further.

The kiss was slow and teasing, a change in pace from the way she had rushed into the car. She relaxed into it, feeling the anxiety she'd had about tonight begin to melt away a little as she grew more comfortable in his arms. His lip nibbled on hers as he let out a low moan.

"Mmmm" he commented as he reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers, smoothing a thumb over her flushed cheekbone. "I've been waiting to do that for days."

His body was still leaning towards hers, holding her in place. Molly's hand had come to rest on the dark denim on his thigh, gripping the firm muscles with her hand. He looked as good as she'd ever seen him, in his dark jeans and navy cable knitted jumper over a light blue shirt. God, he could carry off casual just as well as he did a flashy suit. She continued the sneaking ascent up his thigh with her fingers, smirking when he looked at her questioningly, before he stilled her with a groan. "Carry on like that and we won't make dinner."

"Can't have that." Her smirk grew wider as she pulled away, causing him to groan even harder. "I'm starving. Where we going anyway?"

"Thought we might get out of London for a bit, go for a drive, get something to eat."

She bit her lip at the sight of his wide grin as he outlined his plans, her response simple. "Sounds good." She removed her coat from her body when she realised that she would be in the heat of the car for a while, not missing the way that his eyes admired what was beneath the material as she removed it.

The car roared from the quiet street, the comfortable silence filled by the sounds of Justin Timberlake singing about being Lovestoned, which really was pretty apt in the circumstances. Molly grinned to herself as she took in the quiet sight of Charles moving the gearstick effortlessly, his other arm wrapped around the steering wheel. Catching her staring as he drove, he aimed an accusing look at her wandering eyes.

"What?!" his tone was innocent and playful.

"Didn't have you down as a Justin fan." Molly giggled at his raised eyebrows.

"Sarah must've left it on when I dropped her off." Molly didn't miss the slight flush of his cheeks as he looked down and sheepishly blamed his sister for his musical tastes.

"Whatever you say." She couldn't hold back a loud giggle as he quickly grasped her thigh in a tickle to elicit a reaction before grasping the gearstick once more.

* * *

By the time Charles had driven them at least half an hour outside of London, the comfortable silence had progressed from banter about Charles' surprising taste in music and how it could possibly be Sarah's when he knew _all_ the words, into heated glances, both shooting furtive looks in the direction of the opposite seat when they thought the other wasn't watching. As the car finally drew to a slow halt, Molly felt the tension pool in her body and stretched out in her seat, the long drive proving more restrictive in her tight dress than she'd anticipated. Her eyes caught his dark gaze as he killed the engine in the darkened and deserted car park.

"We're here." He choked out as he watched her stretch out to ease her discomfort, trying not to stare at the way her woollen dress rode up her thighs as she did it. He swallowed loudly and deliberately, placing a hand over the middle section of the car so that it lingered on the exposed thigh in front of him. Molly's arms were still raised over her head as she yawned and stretched, the expansion of her limbs halting when she realised his hands were suddenly on her body.

His gaze continued to darken as his hand inched further and further up her thigh, her body squirming underneath him.

"What are you doing?" Molly felt a breathy voice that she didn't quite recognise escaping her mouth. Inwardly her brain told her not to dare stopping him, that the hot scorching of his fingers against her upper legs was so pleasurable that she'd be insane to put an end to it.

"Touching you" was his simple response. "Making sure you're real" he added in a softer whisper. Molly could feel jagged breaths tearing through her chest as his thumb stroked a path up towards her inner thigh, moving painfully slowly towards where she needed to feel him. Although she was wearing thick tights, her skin felt like it was on fire beneath his touch and she bit back the increasing urge for his fingers to be touching bare flesh.

Her patience began to wear thin as he continued to caress her slowly, almost painfully. She held her breath before realising that she needed to take control of the situation. His eyes were wary and unsure, whereas his gentle touch told her exactly what he needed. She felt almost drunk with exhilaration as she reached for the seam of her tights and pulled them from her body,

"What are _you_ doing?!" Charles' eyes widened as she manoeuvred her way over the gearstick and onto his lap as his hands continued to wander. She ran her hands over his chest as her lips moved closer to his. As his eyes lit up with mischief, she knew he had absolutely no objection to what she was doing.

"Touching _you_. Making sure _you're_ real" she mimicked his earlier words without the joking tone that would usually accompany them. As she straddled his body, his hands finally made her way to her now bare legs, and Molly silently thanked whatever God existed that she'd had the time to shave her legs before getting ready. His fingers ran hot trails up her smooth skin as their lips finally met in a silent rush. She still wasn't used to the way he kissed her, like she was something delicate that should be treated with care. She forced him to change to an altogether different tempo as she continued to take charge, moving one of his hands to her breasts, where she needed him to touch her. He groaned in response, and she felt him harden between her legs as his hands burned through the material of her dress to tease her. He very quickly grew frustrated with the material between them and placed one hand under both her dress and the cup of her bra so that her nipple was drawn into stiff peaks under the tips of his fingers.

Molly could feel the need for him build inside of her, in a fit of desperation that was completely out of character for her. Waves of pressure were already building in her pelvis and she knew that she urgently needed to grab hold of them. She was so far beyond reason that she didn't care that they were in his car, and that this would in the cold light of day be a stupid decision that would come back to haunt her. She was too far past reason to care.

Whilst one of Charles hands remained under her bra, the other had worked to push the material of her dress so that it pooled around her hips, leaving her underwear as the only barrier between his fingers and her body. She needed him to feel the same desperation and urgency that was running though her body, and she loosened her grip on him as she battled to undo his belt and pull his jeans and boxers towards his knees.

"Christ Molly" his voice cracked as he pulled himself up slightly and watched her free his straining erection from the confines of his underwear. "You're going to kill me."

"I'm going to need you alive for at least ten minutes, don't croak on me yet" she muttered as she finally grasped the length of him in her hand, the shiny skin bulging in her palm. He groaned in what sounded like a mixture of agony and ecstasy as she gently moved her fist up and down. Pulling her greedy hand away as he let out a small laugh, he moved her underwear to the side of her leg to take her by surprise as he rubbed the edge of his stiff cock against her wet lips. She moaned with shock and three her head back slightly at the feeling as ripples of pleasure began to circulate round her body just from those few seconds of contact.

"Oh god, you need to keep still" he grumbled as she began to rotate her hips to draw his full length inside of her. Molly couldn't be dissuaded and she ground herself down once more to accept him greedily in one swift movement, causing him to cry out in shock at the sensation.

"Fucking hell! _Fuck_!" His cry filled the thick air in the car as Molly ground to a halt now that she was filled with him. Their hands met in the air between them, fingers intertwined as they clung to each other, both completely lost in the haze of unreleased pleasure. She felt so unbearably full that it was almost painful as she began to rock against his hips, slowly and carefully. Any discomfort soon gave way to the rolling waves of pleasure that began in her belly and radiated straight to her centre as she rotated and ground against him, a satisfied groan of pleasure erupting from both of them with every thrust.

The pressure was now becoming unbearable and she felt her muscles suddenly clench and tighten in response to the galloping rhythm they had managed to build up as they moved together on the leather seat. She didn't think her fingers could grip his any tighter as she watched his facial muscles contort and then relax in ecstasy as he shouted out her name and released himself into her with a long husky groan from his throat. The combination of that sight with the friction of his groin moving against her clitoris suddenly had her grinding against him even harder as she felt that elusive pounding take over her body and scream out to her that she was coming. It hit her hard and fast, and before she realised what was happening he was kissing her hard on the mouth to soften the loud moan that she knew was coming from her mouth.

Suddenly, she felt herself pulled into a fierce hug with him still inside of her, as she leaned her forehead against his and fought to control her racing heartbeat and chase away the terror that she felt at her sudden, unrelenting, and terrifying need for him.

* * *

When shaky hands had rearranged each other's clothing, they both approached the small country pub with still shaky legs. Molly was pulled tightly into his arms as they walked. Her arms were each curled around his waist, hands meeting at his hipbone. One of Charles' hands wandered lazily down the length of her arm, stopping every so often to pull her closer to him. He ventured a kiss onto the top of her head as they walked through the doors.

"This is weird" she whispered in his ear as they moved into the warm air of the almost deserted bar.

"What's weird" he mimicked her whisper. "And why are you whispering?"

"You're whispering too! It's quiet in here. And it's weird cos we've never done this before."

He shrugged as he pulled her closer again. "We've had dinner together plenty of times."

"Not with a starter like that.." Molly giggled as her cheeks filled with heat simply from the memory of what had taken place in the car only minutes previously. She buried her head in his chest to hide her red face as she tried not to let the images get back into her brain. Her chin was prised away from his chest by his fingers.

"Best starter I've ever had." His smile made the jumping pools of nervousness in her stomach subside a little, although her cheeks continued to flush with embarrassment. He gripped her waist, his eyes filling with the same darkness she'd seen earlier. "I'd like a second helping, actually." The nervousness evaporated when he suddenly squeezed where he held her waist and she yelped with surprise, still tender from being backed up against the steering wheel.

"Can I help you?" A voice ventured into their bubble. One of the bar staff had ventured towards where they stood. Molly turned to face the voice, watching the woman's back immediately straighten and a dazzling smile was aimed in Charles' direction as she took him in, with Molly's presence not even registering on her radar. The waitress led them towards the end of the bar, trying to engage Charles in conversation as they moved to the warm log fire that illuminated the room. His hand remained wrapped around Molly's as he pulled her along with him. They took their place at a small wooden table for two, close to the roaring heat of the fire.

The waitress lingered, presenting them with menus for the bar food as she waited to take their orders. She played with her long blonde ponytail as her red lips met in an exaggerated pout. Molly took a minute to watch the sheer admiration in the other woman's eyes as her gaze continued to trail all over Charles. Her nervousness had been replaced with irritation as the other woman openly flirted. This was something she was used to after working with him for as long as she had, but most of the time he was oblivious to it.

"See anything you fancy?" Her question was aimed at Charles, but Molly cast a hard look at the waitress after she said it. It didn't dissuade the other woman from another long and shameless look down Charles' body as she pulled out a pen and pad to take their order.

Charles caught the look that passed between the two women, raised his eyebrows and wisely ignored it, before she was politely sent away with a request for two steak frites and a bottle of red wine.

Molly noticed as the waitress walked away that there was a presence at the bar behind Charles; an older man who seemed to be keeping his eye on them. He was dressed in the type of immaculate clothes that were a dead giveaway of a businessman trying to dress casually, a well pressed blazer and chinos. He noticed her eyes move to his and he gave a small smile. Molly immediately looked away, wondering why the hell some random stranger would be looking at her so curiously. Probably a dirty old perv. She buried the fear that the man may have somehow noticed them in Charles car, her shoulders shuddering at even the thought of it. Her attention turned back to Charles, who was still staring at her with a smile.

"It's quiet in here." Molly was well used to the crawling inner city bars within London. The country style atmosphere and almost deserted bar was a change from the norm.

Charles took one of her hands, tracing the curve of her knuckles lightly with his fingers as he leaned forward so that he didn't need to speak loudly. "That's why I chose it; gives me a chance to have you all to myself." The hand was soon raised to his mouth as he kissed it.

"Why do I get the feeling-" Molly shivered as he continued to kiss her hand "-that you're actually quite good at this dating thing?"

He grinned at the compliment. "Clearly, it depends who I'm with."

Molly's head cocked to the side, her shy grin masked slightly as she tried to will herself not to get buried in the completely new feelings she was experiencing. She was actually grateful this time when the moment was interrupted by the presence of the same waitress, leaning over the table to pour the red wine they'd ordered into two glasses at the table. Charles stopped her when his glass was half full, knowing that he was driving and that his head was already distracted enough by images of what had happened at the wheel of his car that night. He stared at his wine glass as though he was deep in thought, and Molly felt the need to cut through the silence.

"Something the matter?" Her voice penetrated the sudden quietness as she peered at him inquisitively.

"No. Nothing" he shook his head to reinforce the point. "Just thinking."

Molly grinned, her full megawatt smile almost knocking him back in his seat. "Sounds dangerous."

Charles took her hand once more, rubbing lazy circles on her wrist with his fingers. Suddenly the silence didn't feel uncomfortable, it was natural and filled with body language instead of speech. Their bodies both leaned into the table, both sets of eyes caught up in each others', until a figure approached the table. Expecting it to be the waitress yet again, Molly turned round with her death glare ready.

Only it wasn't the waitress. It was the older man who had been standing at the bar watching them curiously. It was only when the man was up close that Molly began to wonder where she knew him from. His face was so familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Chocolate brown eyes stared at the pair of them as he halted at the table, his mouth set in a straight line, with no clear emotion coming from him.

She felt her hand dropped to the wooden table as Charles looked up towards the stranger. His face immediately transformed from the warm affection she'd just seen into a cold hard mask as he locked gazes with the older man.

 _What the fuck?_

He continued to stand awkwardly, saying nothing until Charles looked away from their stand off. Eventually, the man seemed to draw a breath and a small smile settled on his lips.

"Charles."

The voice was smooth, and silky, and come to think of it, not far off the same as the way Charles spoke. Speaking of Charles, Molly didn't think she'd seen a look of such contempt pass his face for a long time. Whoever this guy was, he'd obviously seriously pissed him off.

"Richard." The clipped tone left his mouth and he turned his head back towards Molly, his fists clenched where they sat on top of the table.

The other man clearly sensed he wasn't welcome and took a small step back from the table, before he turned towards Molly with an open hand and a warm smile.

"You must be Rebecca."

 _Oh shit_. If things weren't already awkward, they were about to take a turn in that direction. Molly didn't think it could get any worse, until he uttered his next words.

"I'm Richard James. Charles' father."

* * *

 _ **AN. Sorry this story has taken an absolute age to update. A mixture of hectic real life and a bit of writer's block has been a bad combination for me! Hopefully you haven't all given up and jumped ship by this point, and I promise I'll try and be faster with the next update! Thanks for those who took the time to message / review and encourage me to keep on with this, it's much appreciated in times of low confidence!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN - hello! Firstly, an apology. Real life has really been kicking my arse recently, and fanfic reading and writing have been neglected as a result. I will try and get better, I promise! This chapter follows on directly from the previous one - I've added the end of the last chapter here incase it's been so long that everybody has forgotten! Also, huge well done to the dedicated ladies who have organised tonight's watch-along, brilliant effort ladies!**_

* * *

 _She felt her hand dropped to the wooden table as Charles looked up towards the stranger. His face immediately transformed from the warm affection she'd just seen into a cold hard mask as he locked gazes with the older man._

 _What the fuck?_

 _He continued to stand awkwardly, saying nothing until Charles looked away from their stand off. Eventually, the man seemed to draw a breath and a small smile settled on his lips._

" _Charles."_

 _The voice was smooth, and silky, and come to think of it, not far off the same as the way Charles spoke. Speaking of Charles, Molly didn't think she'd seen a look of such contempt pass his face for a long time. Whoever this guy was, he'd obviously seriously pissed him off._

" _Richard." The clipped tone left his mouth and he turned his head back towards Molly, his fists clenched where they sat on top of the table._

 _The other man clearly sensed he wasn't welcome and took a small step back from the table, before he turned towards Molly with an open hand and a warm smile._

" _You must be Rebecca."_

 _Oh shit. If things weren't already awkward, they were about to take a turn in that direction. Molly didn't think it could get any worse, until he uttered his next words._

" _I'm Richard James. Charles' father."_

* * *

"I won't get into the many reasons why you shouldn't call yourself that." The words were almost growled by Charles, his head hanging low as he studied the table rather than look at either of the faces who stared intently at him. Molly felt the awkward silence that followed the statement begin to permeate the air as she struggled to come up with some sort of small talk that would fill it.

"I'm Molly"

The statement didn't do anything to dispel the lingering awkwardness, but Richard gave a small nod to acknowledge her attempt to at least do something. His eyes glimmered knowingly as he focused on the woman before him.

"I'm so very sorry Molly. I should know better at my age than to make assumptions."

She shrugged as she brushed his incorrect assumption off. "Don't worry, easily done."

It wasn't 'easily done' to mistake the identity of your son's wife, everybody in attendance at the table knew that, but he smiled more warmly this time at her words and she once more felt a glimmer of recognition at how familiar his mannerisms were to her. Charles was clearly his father's son, whether he wanted to be or not.

"Don't try and make him feel better about the fact that he knows nothing about my life." The statement was low and filled with resentment, and Molly immediately felt the tension radiating from Charles as he lifted his head to meet her eyes. Molly didn't apologise, but she didn't say anything further as she lifted an eyebrow questioningly at Charles. Silence took over once again.

"Well" Richard cleared his throat as he interrupted the silent interaction. "Perhaps you'd care to enlighten me?"

"Not really, no."

"That's your choice Charles. It always has been."

Molly could see Charles' knuckles whiten as his fist tensed at the words. Disdain dripped from his lips. "I don't remember having a choice when you walked out on your family. I certainly don't remember 15 year old me expressing any choice in no longer having a father."

"You've always had a father, you just didn't care to call me one. You're an adult Charles. You know that these things are never black and white, no matter how much your mother wishes to paint them that way."

"Don't bring mum into this. She made the best of the shitty situation you created."

A deep sigh came from the older man's imposing figure as it stood over them. He suddenly looked exhausted, his dark eyes no longer showing the hint of the sparkle that they had.

"I can only try so many times Charles. You know where I am if you want to hear my side of the story."

"I don't." His reply was short and terse.

"Clearly." Richard sighed once more as his posture sagged, the tension suddenly releasing from his body. Charles didn't have the same reaction, still poised and tensed for an argument. Richard focused on Molly as he began to back away from the table.

"Lovely to meet you Molly."

"You too, Mr James" she nodded slowly at him, ignoring the look of disbelief Charles was currently aiming in her direction at the friendliness she showed to his father.

"Don't bother looking at me like that." Molly circled the rim of her wine glass with her index finger before picking it up and taking a large gulp. The welcome sensation of the wine washing down her throat did something to address the shaky feeling from witnessing the tension filled moment between the men. Richard didn't return to his place at the bar, the door swinging behind him as he made an exit from the quiet pub. A gust of freezing cold air blew into the room in the brief second before the wooden door slammed shut with a horrible sense of finality.

Molly risked a glance at Charles, who watched the closed door with a look she couldn't read. "How come he didn't know you were divorced?"

He bowed his head, avoiding her gaze. "Because it's none of his bloody business. He's not a part of my life. He made damn sure of that."

Something inside of Molly didn't quite buy that Richard had voluntarily excluded himself from Charles' life. "For someone who made sure of it, he seems like he wants to know you. He obviously wants to be part of your life."

"You don't know the full story Molly. He put mum through hell. I've no intention of having anything to do with him."

"So it's your mum's choice then?"

"What?"

"You said it was his choice not to be part of your life. Sounds like it's more your mum's choice than his."

He met her eyes, and for the first time she saw total discomfort when he faced her. "I don't expect you to understand. You don't know what he's like. I don't think anybody truly knows him. He can charm people, make them trust him. Then he walks away."

"How do you know that? If you don't know him?"

"Don't defend him Molly." When she glanced questioningly at him he wavered slightly. "It's not a conversation I want to have right now."

"Fair enough. But if I was you, I'd be tempted to hear him out. What harm would it do?"

"Plenty" he snapped before his tone softened again. He stared at her as he whispered softly. "It'd do plenty of harm."

He looked so lost for a moment that her temptation to continue to push him about it almost disappeared. She leaned across the table to take hold of his now unsteady hand.

"You're talking to an expert in having bust ups with her old man." She glanced at the door. "Let's get out of here."

He shook his head and drew a deep breath to steady himself. "We haven't even eaten yet."

Molly's eyebrow raised knowingly once more. "You still hungry?"

"Not really."

"Didn't think so. C'mon." She pulled two £20 notes out of her purse to cover the cost of the bottle of wine before he stopped her, grimacing as he put his own cash down. "Put your money away. It's bad enough that this night's a write off without you having to pay for it."

Molly grinned as she pulled his hand and led him towards the door. "If you think that's enough to write off a night, I'm really glad you ain't met my family."

* * *

Later that evening, their two figures lay sprawled over Charles' double bed. The television flickered by the side of the room, covering the otherwise darkened walls with a flickering low light. Takeaway cartons sat on the bed between them as Molly sat cross legged in one of Charles' tshirts, her feet on his lap as he finished the last of his rice.

"What I don't get, is how she looks so good." Molly murmured as she watched one of her favourite films intently. She could probably recite the words if she had to, but she still watched it closely as she spoke.

"She's Julia Roberts. She always looks good."

"Yeah, but she's playin' a hooker and she's proper fresh faced. I've never seen anybody standing on a kerb in London what looks like that."

Charles placed the empty tray on the floor and lay back with his hands under his head. "I'd agree with you, but I try not to look at their faces incase they think I'm out kerb-crawling."

Molly snorted what was left of her chicken chow mein at the thought. "Doubt you'd ever need one mate. Not looking like you do."

"Thanks. I think." Molly flicked a stray piece of prawn cracker at his arm as he frowned. "Glad it's not because you think I'm a decent human being or anything."

"Nah. I'm only after your body, I thought you realised that?"

"I hadn't. Good to know though." He sat up and gathered the empty containers before clearing them from the bed and onto a tray. She only saw the back of him as he left the room to put the tray in the kitchen, sneaking a look at the way his body moved in his casual clothes. She didn't think she'd ever get sick of that sight. When he re-entered the room she didn't miss the look of apprehension on his face. He hadn't been right since they'd left the pub.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine." The words were delivered in a tone which confirmed that he was far from fine.

"It's alright not to be. It must've come as a bit of a shock, running into him like that."

He sighed as he moved across the room, undoing the buttons on his shirt before shrugging it off his body. "Molly - I'm fine. I don't want to talk about him."

She tried not to lick her lips at the sight of his solid torso in front of her. He was trying to distract her from her line of questioning and they both knew it. "Ok. What d'you wanna talk about then?" She swallowed hard as she tried to stop herself from moving closer to be able to touch him.

He dropped down onto the bed beside her and smirked as he witnessed the pink colouring beginning to make its way across her cheeks. "I'd rather not talk at all if I'm honest." He trapped her underneath him and kissed along her jawline, little nips that had her squirming beneath him.

"You're trying to distract me so I don't ask you any more questions." Molly managed to get the words out as his lips lowered to nuzzle on her neck, his hands wandering beneath the tshirt she was wearing to trace along the seam of her knickers.

"Yes. Is it working?" One hand explored under the material as he sought a nipple with his wandering fingers. He stopped and suddenly pulled the material up to her chest, making her shiver as she was exposed to the cold air. The sudden cold feeling was lost as his head bowed further down to her breasts, feasting greedily as his mouth enveloped one nipple then another. Her back arched in an attempt to bring her even closer to him; she was lost in a sudden haze of sensation and could only moan in response to his tongue drawing circles around her skin.

The tshirt was soon cast aside in a forgotten heap on the floor. All Molly could do to keep her grounding was to curl her fingers into his thick hair as his head moved over her body, kissing every inch of bare skin as he went. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that his desperation to shut her up with sex should be ringing warning bells, but she was too far gone to let it register.

As he kissed and sucked a trail down her belly, moving agonisingly slowly past her belly button, her back arched towards him again, her fingers impatiently guiding his head towards where she needed him. Her body moved against him to try and create friction where she so desperately needed it. He reached the dampness of her underwear and let out a small sigh of contentment at her obvious need to be touched by him. He dropped brief butterfly kisses onto the damp patch before him and registered her impatient cries for more.

He needed to lose himself in her, to forget the ever growing feeling of desperate self pity that always accompanied thinking about his father. He dedicated himself to continually building up tempo and pressure to bring Molly to the edge before pulling away, making her beg and plead for him to give her more. When she eventually disappeared over the edge, her legs were wrapped tightly around his head and her fingers wound around his hair as she came forcefully with a cry of his name.

He only felt the niggling pain that had attached itself to him that evening fade away when he finally buried himself inside of her, the rush of blood taking over as he pounded into her body, guiding her hips in the fast pace that he needed and making him forget, giving him the release that he needed. As they lay afterwards, tangled silently in a mass of naked limbs, Molly found she could no longer leave it alone. She felt the slow pace of his breathing underneath her increase when she asked the burning question. "Why d'you hate him so much?"

He shifted awkwardly as he groaned, lifting her from his chest. "Christ Molly. You won't give up on this, will you?" She raised her head to rest it on her elbow, catching his eyes in the darkness of the room.

"No. I want you to tell me."

Charles shook his head, but she continued to stare, willing him to give her even a glimpse of why he was so affected. "Fine. He left. One minute it was all ok, life was completely normal. Then it all just went to shit one day. I remember coming home from school and he was gone, just like that. He'd left mum to manage on her own." His eyes were cold and hard, no trace of sleepy relaxation left.

Molly tried to soothe him as she placed herself back where she had been on his chest. She rubbed the hair at the back of his neck as she spoke to his hard chest, and felt his arm creep around her back to hold her there tightly.

"Where did he go?"

"Straight into the bed of whoever he was shagging at that point I expect."

"He was cheating on your mum?"

"With anything that moved. The day she found out about it was the day he walked out. That man is everything I don't ever want to be." A deep sigh fell from him as Molly felt his chest tremble beneath where she lay on it.

"You're not him." She stated the words confidently, and he almost laughed at how wrong she had got him.

"Aren't I?" He muttered the words as Molly used her finger to mark a trail from one nipple to another. Her finger made its way over the light dusting of hair across his chest as she dropped her lips to the skin.

"No. You're not. Things didn't work out with you and Rebecca and you got divorced. No kids, nothing like that. You did the right thing getting out when you did."

Silence enveloped the room as the minutes ticked by, Molly unsure on whether to ask anymore when he volunteered the next piece of information, a whisper into the dark. "He got remarried. A few years after he left us."

"How d'you know?"

He cleared his throat, continuing more steadily. "I didn't, not straight away anyway. I had a client a few years ago who knew him, made the connection with the name and the fact that I looked like him. He filled me in, not that I really wanted to know. I've never told anybody about that, not Rebecca. Not even mum or Sarah."

Molly continued to stroke his chest absentmindedly as she considered what he was telling her. "How come?"

"Because of who he got married to. It's somebody we all knew, somebody who had been close to the family."

"Shit, that's awkward. Who was it?"

"Lesley." She felt the pace of his breathing continue as he hesitated before he spoke to the ceiling. "His assistant."

The combination of his hesitation and the sudden chill she felt in the air weren't lost on Molly.

There were no words which she could sensibly think of to say, and she had a sudden horrible sensation that she was more tied up in this situation than she'd originally thought.

"It's the typical midlife crisis cliche isn't it? Shagging his assistant." He still refused to meet her eyes as he sat up in bed, letting her fall to the side of him. He rubbed his palm over a stubble covered chin before daring to look at Molly. "So what was it you said about me not being him?"

The implication of his words made her chest hurt, and she pulled her knees up to cover her bare chest for protection. She could almost feel the hurt about to descend on her. "Is that what you think this is? A midlife crisis? A cliche?"

He looked away again, his face contorted. "I honestly don't know what this is Molly. But I know what it makes me."

The whisper barely left her lips. "What does it make you?"

"It makes me no better than him."

Tears swam in her eyes but she dismissed them. He wouldn't see her cry, she would make sure of it.

"You're comparing the fact that we've been doing this to the fact that your dad walked out on his family and ended up married to his assistant? It's completely different. It's not the same thing."

"It would be to my family. A grand total of 6 months after my divorce comes through, I have a thing with my PA, who's ten years younger than me. Nobody would believe for a second that it hadn't been going on all along. Like father, like son."

Suddenly the tears were replaced with white hot anger, and she jolted into action, rising from the bed to locate her clothes. The sudden need to get away became overwhelming. "Jesus, you really know how to make a girl feel special don't you? I thought I felt bad when I heard you tell your sister I was nobody, although at least 'a thing's' better than a nobody."

"Oh for fuck's sake. I didn't mean it like that, I was trying to explain things to you. You're the one who keeps pushing me to talk about it. I didn't want you pulled into this mess." The words came from behind his hands as he buried his head in them, blocking out the sight of her frantically pulling her clothes on as she groped in the darkness.

She stopped midway through pulling her dress back over her head, an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment and shame taking over. She should have known this was the way the conversation would go if she pushed him. "So you keep me as your dirty little secret instead? That's why you didn't want to say anything at work or tell anybody." His face fell and she knew she'd hit the nail on the head. "That's why we went to the arse end of nowhere tonight, so you wouldn't risk running into anybody you knew. That fucking backfired, didn't it?"

He couldn't look at her, instead standing and reaching to pull her back towards him. "You're blowing this completely out of proportion." He tried to pull her stiff body back towards the heat of his own, unable to speak any words to placate her and reaching for physical affection instead. He kissed the top of her head as she stiffened further. She tried her hardest to stem the flow of tears yet again.

"You're right. I'm gonna go."

She escaped his hold as he tried to secure her against his chest. "Don't be fucking ridiculous. Where are you going?"

"Home. You're right, I shouldn't have pushed you to talk about it." She finally found her handbag where it had fallen beside the bed and grabbed her shoes in her hand, moving towards the door. "You should just keep it all inside, bottle it up like what you have been doing'."

He realised she was serious and reached for his own clothes, a sense of panic beginning to overwhelm him. "You're not seriously leaving?"

She seethed at him, rushing out to the hall and groping for the door handle in the dark. "I'm seriously leaving. I'll see you at work. Don't worry, I won't mention anything about our 'thing' to anybody. Dirty little secret's safe with me." She somehow managed to hold back the sob that was lodged in her throat and escaped through the door before he caught her.

It slammed shut as he tried to pull his jeans up in the darkness, and he realised that for the second time that night, he was staring at a door that he had no idea how to reopen. He let her go, wondering how the hell things had managed to go so spectacularly wrong in the course of one evening.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN. Hello - it's been a while since I've pressed the update story button! Mixture of real life, being poorly, and staring at a blank screen with absolutely nothing to write are to blame! Here comes the sun is next on the list, and thanks for the messages checking that I've not disappeared into the night..** **If anyone is still reading or can remember where the story has gotten to, you're doing better than me!**

 **Apologies for this chapter in advance -** **I'm trying to find my way back to this after probably the longest break I've had, so sorry if it's all a bit rusty! Also,** **it's a bit angsty, but is a necessary evil in order to get us back where we need to be...**

* * *

 **December 31st**

The sounds of the New Year escapades in the Dawes house were possibly even more raucous than the bustling chaos of Christmas. As Dave Dawes sank yet another beer whilst sat on the couch in front of his eldest daughter, Molly wondered just how the hell she had been convinced that spending any more time with her family over the holidays was what she needed. A large crash, followed by giggling, interrupted her thoughts.

"Bel, will you get that lot under control?" Dave yelled in the direction of the small kitchen, showing no attempt to do it himself. "Can't flamin' hear meself think" he mused as he took another sip from the can, followed by the unmistakable rip of a long burp. Molly scrunched her nose up in disgust, silently willing Bella to hurry the fuck up getting ready upstairs.

It had been Bella's 'wise' idea that a night out on the tiles on New Year's Eve was exactly what both of them needed. Some drinking and dancing was unlikely to clear Molly of her current dark mood, but she had to stop wallowing at some point.

There had been no texts, no missed calls, no voicemails asking for a second chance. Not that she expected there to be, but the bastard might have sodding well apologised after he'd compared her to some ghost that he obviously thought had broken his family apart. He'd given her no choice but to leave his bed, and him. She couldn't have stayed in his flat after that, no matter how much she was willing to push aside for him. She'd managed to grab a taxi almost immediately after stepping out onto the street, still breathless and tear-stained from their argument. She could still feel the look of pity the taxi driver had cast in her direction of her mascara streaked face.

"Tough night love?"

"Could say that, yeah." She'd sniffed and given him her address before staying firmly put in her flat for the next three days, trying to figure out how she was going to deal with going back to work for him in the new year. The days of silence were broken only by random checks that her phone was definitely working. Much to her continued disappointment, it was, and no, he still hadn't bothered getting in touch.

When her phone sprung to life on the morning of December 31st, she'd jumped to attention, preparing herself to answer. Until she'd realised it was only Bella, pestering her to join her on a nine leg pub crawl that night.

"I seriously ain't in the mood, Bella."

"Come on Molls, we never do anything together, just the two of us, no more?"

Molly sighed loudly, willing her sister to drop it. "It won't be the two of us though. It'll be you, me, and all your college mates."

"Molls" her tone was one that Molly could never resist. "I really miss ya."

There was a sadness in her little sister's words, and Molly immediately knew she was done for. She had never been able to deny Bella anything. The relationship between them had always been underpinned by the affection Molly felt for the rare time when it had just been the two of them; before their parents added more siblings to the family than either of them could cope with, emotionally or financially. They had both been neglected from that point onwards and Molly had taken on the role of more than just a sister, despite only being four years older.

"Go on then. But I aint stayin' out all bloody night. We'll go for a few before midnight an' then go back to my flat."

Bella smiled widely down the phone, knowing for a fact that once she got Molly out, that wouldn't be the case. "Deal!"

* * *

As Molly sat in the living room waiting for Bella to finish getting ready, she wondered, not for the first time, how she'd been so easily swayed. Bored of Dave's inane chat about how John down the pub was having a 62 inch telly installed in his flat, she made her way upstairs, dodging the steady stream of siblings that littered her path, shrieking and yelling. She opened the door to her old bedroom, coughing as the fumes of hairspray and perfume attacked her. Bella stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips as she frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Music blared from the stereo as she examined herself from different angles. Molly took in the tight black dress that her younger sister wore.

"Blimey, who you out to impress?"

Bella shrugged as she struggled to meet her gaze. "Nobody. Just tryin' to decide what to wear. Everything I've got's dead.."

"Dead what? Hope you're gonna say lovely, cos that's what you are."

"I just wanna look good, alright?"

Even then, Molly could recognise the same uncertainty that she always felt, only this time it was reflected in her sister's eyes. For Molly, getting a decent job, earning enough to be able to afford her own flat, away from her family should have given her a faith in herself that she was doing well. That she'd somehow managed, despite the dodgy beginnings, to make something of her life. That she wasn't on the dole and knocked up by 21. She should have been proud of that fact. But instead, all she felt was that no matter how hard she pushed, it was never going to be good enough. There was always something waiting to remind her of that fact. She could see the exact same uncertainty and lack of faith in herself reflected in Bella's eyes, and knew at that moment exactly how she felt. She was suddenly desperate to make it better, despite knowing for a fact that she couldn't. She tried anyway.

"You look bloody gorgeous. Come on, let's go."

* * *

The third pub was nice. Well, it was more of a club, and it was better than the two pubs that'd gone before it, which wasn't saying much. Maybe it was just the fact that the tequilas that Bella had insisted they both had to neck between every proper drink were starting to kick in. As they both downed another shot, the warm liquid coated her throat, and Molly felt a sudden surge in her mood.

 _Sod Charles, and sod his stupid family. So she wasn't good enough. They were all probably posh knobs anyway, too snobby to bother getting to know the likes of her._

The music in the packed club got even louder, almost making it feel like the walls were shaking whenever the bass kicked in. She felt her anxieties begin to fade away to nothing, as they always did after so much vodka and shots. She dragged Bella to the dance floor as the crowd surged to the song that pounded from the speakers at the DJ box, somebody singing about their head being a jungle. She could sympathise, her thoughts so messy and judgement clouded that she couldn't see the sky for all of the branches overhead. As she felt the bodies around her rise and fall to the beat of the music, her whole body warmed from the body heat around her, and she realised that it was the first time in days that she'd smiled. She'd been so preoccupied with Charles, and what had happened, that she hadn't taken the time to stop and appreciate what she did have. She had mates, her own home, her own money. Christ, she even had her family, even if Dave was a complete and utter fuckwit. They accepted and loved her for who she was. Her biggest challenge was to do the same.

Molly felt her mobile vibrate in her pocket as she was being led towards the bar by Bella and a mate of hers from college that they'd picked up in the second pub. Ignoring it, she pulled out her purse and paid for another round of drinks. As she raised her drink to her lips, she felt it vibrate for a second time. For some reason, she knew without a doubt that it was him. She'd waited for him to phone for so long that sods law would obviously dictate that he'd call her as soon as she'd decided that she could really do without the hassle in her life.

With a reluctant sigh, she pulled her mobile from her pocket and indicated to Bella that she was taking a step outside, where she could hear herself think. She answered before it rang off, as she shoved her way past yet another crowd of bodies.

"Yeah?" she tried to answer as nonchalantly as possible, failing miserably to pull it off.

"Hi."

He sounded bloody miserable, even with his one word response. Not that it brought her any comfort. She stayed silent, waiting for him to take the initiative.

Finally, he spoke. "You still there?"

"Yeah. Still here."

"You're not saying much"

"Neither are you" she countered. Even from outside, the loud music from the pub blared in the ear she wasn't holding the phone up to.

"Where are you?"

"Out."

"Yes, I'd figured that much out Molly."

She shrugged, despite knowing he couldn't see her. "Why are you phoning me?"

His sigh was weary, and she tried to stop herself from closing her eyes and picturing him in his flat as he phoned her. The same flat she'd stayed in and slept in his bed while he whispered words into her shoulder when he'd thought she was asleep. Those now painful memories were made even more painful by his awkward tone.

"To say happy new year?"

She gave him nothing in response other than a quiet observation. "It aint midnight yet."

"Well the signal always goes down at midnight, doesn't it…?" His voice trailed off to silence.

"Right. If you say so." She stayed quiet after that, waiting for him to get to the point.

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"

"Didn't think saying happy new year was that hard if I'm honest."

"It isn't. Apologising for being an arsehole with Daddy issues is a little bit more difficult though."

She couldn't even bring herself to raise a smile at his wry observation, muttering under her breath. "Yeah, I'd think it would be."

"I was a prick."

"I know. I was there when you shagged me like your life depended on it, got it all out your system, then told me I wasn't good enough for you." Her words were cold and distant, as if she was somehow managing to describe something that had happened to somebody else.

"Christ, Molly" she heard the breath whoosh from his chest as he exhaled. "That's not what I did. That's not what I meant at all."

"Really? Felt like it from where I was standing. Not that I was standing, I was still naked in your bed at the time. Can't tell you how good that made me feel."

She could hear the jeers from a group of drunken lads who'd ventured out for a fag as she obviously raised her voice too loud.

" _Alright darlin?! You can come to my bed naked any time you like love!"_

She moved the phone to rest on her shoulder as she addressed them. "Fuck off, prick."

"Molly" his voice boomed out from the receiver, making her bring it back to her ear. "Where the fuck are you?!"

She finally lost her patience with him. "Never mind Charles. Likes of you wouldn't be caught dead in these parts. Don't think Mummy would like it." She flicked two fingers at the jeering lads who continued to catcall at her as she walked past defiantly.

His voice was reduced to a low growl into the receiver. "Tell me where you are. I'm coming to get you."

"No." There was an edge of defiance to her voice that he unfortunately recognised from years of working with her.

"Molly" he warned. "If you don't tell me right now, I swear to God, I'll.."

"You'll what?" she interrupted. "Dock me a week's wages? Make me work overtime? I'm nothing more than your PA, Charles, you made that crystal clear. Unless you're phoning me about work, don't bother in future." She felt the last of her drunken bravado fade as she hung up and stumbled back to the bar, cursing the fact that she'd answered the phone in the first place. Her immediate saviour, in the form of the barman, was mercifully close. She reached him quickly.

"Vodka and Coke please. Make it a double."

* * *

 **January 2nd**

The warm bodies on the tube surrounding her actually brought some comfort as Molly made her way to the office for the first time in nearly a week. The hum of the carriage rumbling, and the comfort of seeing that she wasn't the only one with a weary expression helped to bring Molly enough peace to close her eyes briefly and prepare herself. Since speaking to Charles on the phone on New Year's Eve, she'd deliberately avoided thinking about just how awkward this moment was likely to be.

The streets of London were just as bustling as the tube, but instead of the frenzied tone of excitement there had been in December and the build up to Christmas, there was a flat undercurrent of tiredness and resentment that the holidays had come to an end. Molly felt her heart pick up to an almost unbearable level as she stepped in the lift and gripped the cup of coffee in her hand. She barely even registered the heat of the flimsy cardboard cup in her palm as her eyes stuck to the ever changing number on the screen to indicate that she had almost reached her destination.

As the metal doors slid open, she was almost tempted to press the 'close' button and run back home as quickly as she could to the comfort of her duvet. Facing Charles could wait till tomorrow as far as she was concerned. Any other day but today. Her first view was of Emily's delighted grin as she quite obviously waited on the lift to open.

"Alright gorgeous?" Molly was pulled into a hug before she had the chance to protest. "Happy new year!"

Molly grimaced as Emily released her. "Ain't you a bit too cheery for the first day back at work?"

"Usually I would be, but today ain't any normal day is it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well it ain't every day this place gets a mention in my favourite mag is it? Everyone's talkin' about it."

"What you on about?"

"Ain't you seen it?" Emily rustled in her bag and pulled out a well thumbed copy of the latest issue of _Glamour_. Her desk was usually littered with old copies of the magazine, read from cover to cover and accompanied by a pile of gossip magazines. Molly always referred to them as Emily's bibles.

The copy pulled from her bag was marked with a post-it at a section. Emily opened it with the excitement of a child at Christmas as she waited for Molly to sit at her desk, not noticing her discreet glance at Charles' office to see it empty. Her relief that he wasn't in the office was short lived as she looked at the glossy page in front of her. Her mouth fell open in shock when she saw the photo of Charles dominating the page, underneath the headline " _Sex Gods in the City_ ".

It was one of the corporate shots that Marco had insisted all of the directors had to have to for the company's website. She'd taken the piss out of him at the time for his male model pose, all the while hiding the fact that she'd been totally mesmerised by the photos that had been taken. He stood, hands in his suit pockets, glancing up at the camera with a look of playfulness. She could remember when that particular photo had been taken. Molly had been standing behind the photographer and had told him a particularly dirty joke to try and make him laugh. The photographer had caught his expression as he listened to the punchline, a glint in his eye as he smirked. She was so caught up with the memory of the day that she almost forgot that Emily stood beside her desk, waiting on some kind of response.

"What's this?"

"Ain't you read it? Fuck's sake Molls, this is the biggest goss there's been here in ages. You might at least pretend to be excited!" Emily snatched the magazine back and sat on Molly's desk, clearing her throat before she started to read the article in her best posh voice.

 _Charles James (37), Director, Astratto Developments_

 _No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. You may have assumed that Charles was a male model, or perhaps an actor. This journalist certainly nearly fell from her chair when he strolled into Claridges for our interview. But the man is far from just a pretty face. Charles is one of the leading names in the redevelopment of formerly deprived areas of London, and is looking to branch out further to redevelop areas outwith the City. Further evidence of his social conscience can be seen in his regular tutorials to college students in the areas of London most affected by poverty. Could this man be any more perfect? I sat down with Charles to learn some more about the man himself._

"Oh god, I think I've heard enough." Molly went to move before Emily could continue.

"Oh come on, I ain't even got to the good stuff yet." Emily grabbed her before she could stand, and shifted on the desk to make herself more comfortable, crossing her legs as she grinned and flicked the page. "Alright, there's a load of boring shit about wanting to improve people's lives, blah blah blah" she waved her hand dismissively as Molly snorted out a laugh at her friend's obvious disdain. "Oh, here we go" she sat up triumphantly as she scanned the paragraphs with a perfectly manicured fingernail and began to read again.

 _Q: You're obviously very dedicated to your job. How does that interact with your personal life?_

 _CJ: I think the majority of people try their hardest to achieve a work/life balance. I'm not necessarily the best at it, but I do have plenty of interests out of work. I have been accused of being married to my job at times, but it's something I'm working on._

 _Q: There is one obvious question that I feel duty bound to ask on behalf of our readers. Are you single?_

 _CJ: (pauses) I'm fairly recently divorced._

 _Q: I see. So you're back on the market then?_

 _CJ: I wouldn't describe it as back on the market. I'm divorced._

 _Q: Is there anybody special in your life at the moment?_

 _CJ: (pauses) I'm not looking for a relationship, as I'm sure you'll understand given the personal circumstances._

"Can you believe the cheek of this woman, she's obviously fishing to see if he'll go out with her. She fancies him something rotten!" Emily continued to scan the page for juicy quotes, not noticing the mournful expression on Molly's face.

The lift doors opened once more as the reason for her dark mood caught her eye. Her only consolation was that he looked as shit as she felt. Although he was dressed in his usual suit and tie, his eyes were hollowed out and dark, and his hair not as groomed as usual. He kept his eyes on Molly as he walked towards his office, not stopping to ask why Emily was sitting on her desk, and certainly not getting involved in any conversation. The door to his office slammed behind him, causing Emily to jump from Molly's desk and scurry to her own.

"I'll leave it with you to read the rest, but I want that back!" Emily whispered urgently as she made her way towards her own desk. Molly snatched the magazine from the wooden surface and shoved it into a drawer, as if hiding it away would somehow erase the last five minutes from her brain.

She knew as soon as the phone rang just who was calling, the ID on the screen warning her that she couldn't hide from him any longer. As she reluctantly lifted the receiver, she answered as professionally as she could manage in the circumstances.

Or at least, she meant to.

"Good morning, PA to Number 1 Sex God in the City." She tried to hold her tone as evenly as possible, as the pause on the other end of the line became unbearable.

"You've seen it then?" His words sounded flat and lifeless, and she suddenly wished she could travel back a few months to a time where she'd have been able to take the piss out of him mercilessly for the article and not be so hurt and jealous that she'd gladly burn the thing and never lay eyes on it again.

"Explains what that journalist was after I suppose. They'll be knocking down the doors to get to you soon, we'd better warn security."

"Very funny. Can we not talk about this on the phone when we're sitting twenty yards away from each other?" Charles sighed and she knew if she peeked up through his office window, she would see him rubbing the back of his neck roughly, the way he always did when he was exasperated or stressed.

"Would you rather I left, so we could carry on talking about it?"

"No, I'd rather you stopped being obtuse and came into my office actually."

"Fine." The phone was clattered into the receiver forcefully, causing Emily to look up with a question mark practically highlighting her face. Molly lifted her notebook and pen, and after a moment's thought, lifted the magazine from the drawer she'd hidden it away into.

Charles' head shot up from his hands as she opened the door to his office and walked in with the sort of confidence she was glad she had learned to fake over the last few years.

"It's really not how it looks" he aimed his head in the direction of the magazine in her hands. "She sold it to me as some sort of article where they'd discuss companies with a social conscience, not a personal dating ad."

Molly shrugged her shoulders and stared him in the eye, forcing herself not to look at the ground that she wished would swallow her up. She was determined to come out of this with as much of her pride still intact as possible. She threw the offending magazine onto his desk, causing him to wince as it landed smack bang in the middle of his organised papers. "Not much point in complaining about it, she's not lied. You're a single guy. You told her that much." The words made her feel even worse as they exited her mouth, if that was possible.

He watched Molly carefully. "I didn't say that. I told her I wasn't looking for a relationship."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Couldn't really tell her you've been shagging about with someone you're mortified about, could you?" She gave up her fight and looked at the floor awkwardly as she gave a voice to the negative thoughts inside her that had been shouting the same thing till she needed them to stop.

"Oh for fuck's sake, that's a load of bollocks and you know it. Would you come here?" He gestured to the corner of his office which was situated away from the window. When she looked at him, she almost snorted through her tears with the irony of it all.

"What, in that one bit of your office where nobody can see? That's really gonna convince me I'm wrong, ain't it?" She tried to ignore the surge of heat in her body as his hands moved towards her shoulders to guide her to where he needed her. He moved his mouth towards her ear as he manoeuvred her to the opposite corner of the imposing room. "I'm not doing this with Emily's eyes boring holes into me." They both looked towards Emily's desk to see her watching them through the window, bug-eyed, with a pen hanging from her mouth. Charles waved in her direction as he moved them out of sight, and she forced her head down, well aware she'd been caught spying.

As he tucked Molly into the one corner of his room where he knew there were no prying eyes, his hand caressed her cheek. She had to fight the urge to burrow herself into his body and seek the comfort she badly needed. It was only at that stage she suddenly became aware of how much of herself she'd handed over to him. The heat of his palm against her skin was almost unbearable as he moved it up and down, and her eyes closed with the battle not to move an inch towards him. She felt the tear escape the side of her eye before it could be stopped, and he brushed it away with his thumb before he lowered his lips onto her forehead.

"Please don't cry" he murmured into her hair as he brushed more tears away. "I'm so sorry Molly. I've completely screwed this up and I have no idea what to do next." His voice broke a little as he said it, and she surrendered for a moment and allowed her hands to find comfort on his chest as she let him hold her. Before she knew it, his lips had moved towards her and pulled her into a desperate kiss. She let herself fall into the kiss for a minute or so, her body falling and beginning to feel weightless before she forced herself to pull away and finally open her eyes. Molly knew the time had come to voice her biggest fear. The moment had arrived, and she couldn't avoid it any longer.

"I can't do this any more. It's too much…" She trailed off as she pulled away from his hand, brushing her own tears away, not letting him do it for her any more.

"Molly.." He began to speak, his own eyes filling before she cut him off.

"Please don't make this any harder than it is. I won't be your dirty little secret." She looked at him with a plea not to push it any further; to recognise that she was on the brink of breaking down in front of him, something she'd sworn she'd never do. "I can't."

A look of horror crossed his face briefly. "I don't want you to be my dirty little secret." He watched, her desperate for understanding. "I need to try and work out a few things. I just need time, Molly."

"Maybe I need time too!" Her sadness was beginning to give way to anger; at the situation; at him. "You're so used to me falling into line and sorting your life out for you. I can't do it any more." She gathered her belongings together and moved towards the door.

"Molly" his tone was low and warning. "Please don't do this."

"I need to." She risked a glance at him one last time before she opened the door. "I don't want to be your secret. I wanted you to feel the same way I do. I can't stay here knowing you don't." His face fell and he sank into his seat as she walked away.

Molly left the office, not even stopping for her jacket or bag, and ignoring Emily's voice as she called after her. For once, her head was held high, and not even the million voices in her head chorusing that she was a fool could pull her back into the building she'd worked in for years. The constant ringing of her mobile phone, the screen showing his name, was silenced, switched off, and placed back in her pocket.


End file.
